Chronicles of a Sunny Day
by DoingJeanOnTheSide
Summary: CANONXOC Kanda has always stayed out of things, but when he meets a beautiful Elf, Ylia, he can't stay out of the war any longer and that leads to the worst consequences imaginable.


With a muttered obscenity and an old elven curse whispered under bated breath, his leg, long but muscular, flew over the horse to haul himself up with it. Not even an eye was spared for the small little cottage that was his home, not one look before he kicked the back of his boot into the horse, sending the dare mare off into a gallop. Out of all the destinations he could go, the farthest seemed to suit his needs. However, the farthest was that forest, and ever since he was born a phobia of that place was instilled in his heart, and it pulled him from the outer rim whenever he roamed near.

Tales of beasts and flesh eating humanoids were told daily to keep him and others of his age away from the forest. Away from the inner parts. The outer rim was as far as anyone ever ventured. No one went in, and nothing came out, as per the agreement set down by the elders of the elders of the elder's elders of the village. Never had it been broken, changed, or altered in any way, shape, or form. But with a smirk, a thought crossed this young adult's mind. Maybe he'd break that stupid agreement.

After being told he was the best warrior in the village, his head was in the clouds and nothing could beat him now. With his trusty sword out his side, no creature in all the mountains could come between him and victory. All creatures, except his parents, of course. Silently cursing himself, he kicked the mare again, jumping over a fallen log before she galloped a bit faster. His parents were the reason he was riding away, the village disappearing onto the horizon.

"_Hey, Yu, whatcha doing out?" His friend, Lavi, had asked him, walking up to him with his hands curiously folded behind his back. His red hair was pushed in front of his right eye, or the lack thereof._

"_Walking, what the hell do you want?" he had sneered back at him, crossing his arms and trying his best to ignore the slightly younger annoyance._

"_Well, just heard 'round town that yer paren's got sumthin' to say to ya," He mentioned, standing up straight enough that his teal shirt lifted away from the rim of his pants._

"_Really?" an eyebrow raised curiously on his face, not that he really was curious. With a skilled hand, he ran his hand through his bangs and back through his long dark blue hair. He'd yet to throw it back into a pony-tail._

"_Yeah, ya shoul' go see wha's going on, hm?" Lavi smiled a toothy grin._

_He had nodded back and left without a word. His mud-covered boots treaded the dirt ridden path through the town, passing the cottages and shacks and ignoring the waves and hellos he received from well-known neighbors. Everyone knew everyone and everyone knew that Yu Kanda didn't say hello._

_When he arrived at his own home, he pushed through the front door and let the wind pull it shut behind him. The slight backdraft flew through his thin cotton shirt, the puffy sleeves going wider and the strings around the slightly V-necked collar rattling. Thin fingers reached out for a tan ribbon before he pulled his hair over his shoulder. Tying the ribbon low, he dropped the clumped hair behind him again and moved further into the house, ignoring the mess of the slight clutter and scattered furniture._

_Once in the kitchen, the small kitchen, he actually greeted his father and mother. And older couple as they were, still just as nice and just as caring for the indifferent boy. Afterwards, he sat at the small wooden table on an equally wooden stool._

"_Yu," his father said, a growl erupting from the boy not to call him that. His father cleared his throat. "Excuse me. Kanda, as you know, you've recently turned 18."_

"_Yeah, so?" Kanda muttered, rolling his eyes and leaning forward on the table._

"_Well," his mother continued, taking a handful of her dress before sitting at a stool as well, "you've also been voted the best warrior, as per the village elder's words."_

_Kanda didn't reply._

"_And, in accordance to the elder's words, 18 is the age young men, such as yourself, go off to join the efforts." _

_Kanda scoffed at the word _efforts. _They were not _efforts, _instead, a full blown war between them, the humans, and something Kanda hadn't learned about._

"_And they learn of them as well," his father continued. "And it's time that happened. There are more than once race out there, more than just the humans, Kanda," he explained. _

"_There is another race," his mother picked up, "and they are the witches and warlocks of the forest, they are the ones who control the beasts and prey upon humans. They are called the Elves, sweetie."_

_Kanda scoffed._

"_And, son," his father stood, "it is time you joined the fight against them and follow in my footsteps."_

_That caught Kanda's attention. Was that old man suggesting what he thought he was?_

"_Yu Kanda," his father addressed, "the elders have spoken, and you are to join the efforts at once."_

_Kanda didn't give a second word besides "No" before he pushed from the table and fled the scene. It was more like evacuating at the speed at which his legs covered the ground he was presented with before him._

And that's how he came to be speeding through the fields outside the village. He was told he was being forced to join the _efforts_. A war against a people he didn't even know. All he knew was their name, _Elves_. What was an elf? His own logic had told him a single one was called that, but his logic couldn't tell him what they were. The stories told him they were vicious creatures out to kill the human race, the ones who controlled the beasts in the forest that attacked men that dared to venture into the forest, never to return to their wives and children. But were they more than that, somehow, could they be more?

With a shake of his head, Kanda cleared his mind, no longer caring about those stupid _Elves_. As long as he wasn't forced to fight in that war, then he didn't care. Sure, he would've loved to fight, but he refused to fight something off the notion that they were supposedly _dangerous_. If the village elders wanted him in their war, they'd give him information.

But that wasn't acceptable. Warriors fought blind. The Elves were their targets, it didn't matter what they were, who they were, if they were anything like a human. Not that Kanda knew what they looked like, he'd never seen one, never wanted to see one either.

That was when he pulled the mare to a stop. He found himself at the outer rim of the forest. An unexplored and feared forest. With a scoff, Kanda kicked the chocolate brown skin of the mare again, making her move again. It wasn't fast, but they moved into the darkness of the forest. The tall trees, thick in their foliage, blocked the floor from the sun. It was overgrown with vines, roots from trees, saprophytes, and even a plant called dodder. Zeda, the name of this chocolate mare, was having issues with stepping over all the overgrown plant life. Dirt seemed to be the only scarce thing on this forest floor, and how Kanda wished for it. He'd be going a hell of a lot faster if Zeda didn't have to watch her step and think twice.

It wasn't soon before Zeda came to a complete stop, and not of Kanda's accord. He growled at her before trying to see what stopped her. Great, everything was growing on this forest floor except a path. Even old, dead, _huge_ rotting logs were on this floor, why wasn't there a path for Ol'Zeda to walk on?

Instead of being a nice person though and turning around to head back _out of_ the forest, he just pulled Zeda back a little bit and kicked, making her run and jump over the log. And everything went perfectly fine after that, except the slight rough landing Zeda made. But they came out just fine and unharmed to continue the slow ride through the forest.

The farther they got away from the outer rim, the darker things got. Now, every noise Kanda's sensitive ears caught made him jump. Every crack of a leaf, every break in a branch made his fists clench and his head turn to look behind him, at the surrounding trees. Even if there was something watching him, he wouldn't have seen them. The trees were huge, around could've been as big as his house easily. And it was hard for him to say it, but they were right when the spoke of the fear this forest housed. Yu Kanda was scared.

With a gulp, he urged Zeda on, keeping his head low and a scowl on his face. With each step, Zeda's hooves hit the ground and almost always broke a piece of falling wood or foliage. It made Kanda's heart skip a beat. His arms jerked for the mare to stop, and she did. In the complete silence of the hooves, Kanda quieted his breathing and listened.

He heard a branch crack. Zeda haven't moved an inch, hadn't picked up her hooves, and hadn't even breathed without her master knowing. Kanda's eyes went wide and his leg jerked backwards. Zeda ran.

Now, Kanda may have been the greatest warrior, but he'd never prided himself on his brain. And maybe if he had started ten seconds before going into the forest, this wouldn't have happened. But in his fear, making Zeda run wasn't the best idea. She picked up on her master's fear and reacted on it. In that, she didn't have enough time to react to a small log. When she jumped, she _jumped_, sending Kanda right off her back and onto the forest floor. But Zeda didn't stop.

"Ugh…" Kanda groaned and tried to push himself off the ground and the large tree root he'd landed on. But it didn't work, only allowed him to succeed in lying on his hurt back to take the pressure off his ribs. He was sure one of them was broken, if not more. Trying to calm his breathing, he looked around. But everything was fuzzy, and it was too dark to make out anything more than the shapes of the large trees and undergrowth. Too much pain, too much effort to concentrate. Kanda just let his eyes close. Close to block out the darkness around him.

After the branch had cracked, the girl almost squeaked, trying to hide herself from the foreigner in the woods. But that was when she heard him take off, and she thought to herself a thought of worry. Haven already understood the state of stress the poor animal was under, she peeked back out from behind the tree to watch and make sure their escape was a flawless one.

But it wasn't, and she had to cover her mouth to keep from exclaiming upon the fall of the strange creature atop the horse. All she could do was stand there, afraid to move to the creature. She watched it try to get up, but only succeed in hurting itself further as it let out a groan. That's when it stopped moving and its eyes closed.

She was scared. Taking a hold of her ivory dress to pull it above her bare feet, she started to walk quickly. The ice blue sash almost flew behind her as she picked up her pace; as did the oversized, almost trumpet sleeves, of her dress. She came to a slow when she reached the creature, curiously examining it.

Long blue hair tied low in a tannish tie. It was a beautiful blue, the girl mused. After yanking her dress up further, she knelt down on bare knees to get a closer look. It wore a simple white shirt, and a simple vest. But that would have to go; it was pretty ratty from the fall. After inspecting the pants and the boots it wore, she mused at the pale color of the skin. Whatever this creature was, it obviously didn't spend a lot of time in the sun. But, when she noticed its ears, she knew she had to have been wrong. Rounded ears.

She'd never seen a creature that looked similar to her, but with those kinds of ears. She briefly wondered if this was a human. And if it was, what would she do? Turning it in was out of the question, it was hurt and in need of medical attention. But if it was a human… she shook her head. She didn't know if it was a human, never before had she seen one. And the pale skin it bore wasn't helping the fact. From what the girl knew, humans worked in fields, out in the bright sunlight where they would become darker. Not paler. But also did she know of their ways, their violence and evil ways.

Huffing, she crossed her arms and debated what to do. Leaving it here was out of the question, but so was taking it back to her village. Besides, she wouldn't be able to lift it, or drag it. The inside of her cheek was bit.

Kanda let his eyes open after a while, feeling as though he was rested enough to bite through the pain and get back to his village. But when he opened his eyes, he didn't see the darkness; he saw an almost ethereal creature. Her skin was like a porcelain doll's. Her eyes, while dark and brown, sparkled and glassed over with curiosity of a child and joy. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a low braid, it starting just under her shoulders, while her hair passed barely the middle of her back. Clad in a dress of ivory and ice blue, she took on the literal aura of an angel. Almost seemingly glowing in the darkness of the forest.

On her cheek rested a small pattern of an ivy leaf surrounded by a gear, two gears. Such a strage design, and yet Kanda couldn't take his eye off of it. From what he could tell, the girl liked ivy. Braided into her hair was a vine of ivy, the leaves coming to poke out.

When Kanda let his eyes open fully, catching the girls attention. The minute she moved back, away from Kanda, her bangs, uneven as they were, moved to reveal a circlet wrapped tightly around her head. And even more, Kanda saw the ears sticking out from her hair, and how they came to a point. A very noticeable point. Instilled fear in his mind was what made him scramble to get away from the creature in front of him. Ever human looking and divine as she was, Kanda was born and raised with the fear of her kind. Of Elves.

Her head cocked to the side at Kanda's sudden backward movement. She then reached out for him; her long fingers coupled with long pointed nails came to rest on his chest. The huge sleeves came up past her wrist to rest loosely around the joint of her thumb.

Red lips parted, and she looked like she wanted to talk.

"_I am Ylia," _she said, words, unfamiliar, seeming to have an echo behind them as she spoke.

Kanda just sort of stared at her, not having any idea what she just said. Blinking just once, Ylia pulled her hand back and took on a look of deep thought.

"N-n-n-name…" she said, stopping her stumbling.

"Your name is Ylia?" he asked.

Ylia didn't respond for a moment or two, before she nodded.

"I'm..." Kanda stopped talking, thinking it wasn't best to disclose his name. He tried to get up, and that's was when his ribs screamed in protest, causing him to drop back to the ground.

Ylia cocked her head to the side, wondering why he was in pain. She reached out for him again, but he flinched. That made her stop. After thinking for a moment, she rested her palm on Kanda's chest, pushing slightly to make him lay back.

"_I leave for beyond the trees__," _she stood, dusting her dress off. When Kanda tried to move, she put out her hand to signal him to stop moving. She pointed to the ground and started to think.

"S-s-s-s-stay…" she muttered before disappearing off in the words, her bare feet carrying her faster than Kanda thought they could. Her dress floated behind her, creating almost a cloud of her to disappear behind. All Kanda could do was stare.

Fast as she ran, she was able to jump over the logs, dodge the branches, the leaves, the rocks. Yet no urgency was seen on her face, it was just another day, exciting. Ylia had found something interesting, and it excited her. Though she knew the moment she entered the village she'd have to calm down so no one would suspect that she'd found something.

That was when the sun began to shine and Ylia stepped through a veiled opening in the trees. Through the veil, on the other side, was the village. Ever bright with light and bustling with the elves. They were gardening, reading, and practicing magic. Anything and everything. Ylia smiled to each and every one of them, waving a greeting before passing on quick feet.

The middle of the village, the heart of the village, was where she lived. Her father was an important leader in the village, and all the leaders and their families lived in the middle, surrounded by a fence not a foot high surrounded by flowers and leaves. Once there, she moved through the houses until she came to hers, modest and humble, just as her father.

Walking through the door without a sound, Ylia called to announce her presence. Soon she was met by her father. Not quite as old as one would expect him to be for how Ylia looked. However, the girl only be 17, it wasn't quite as strange to learn of her father's late forties. But how young he looked! With long hair, down to his back and longer still, yellow as the sun and pulled into a braid, his bangs unruly around his face. On the opposite cheek of Ylia, the left cheek, he adorned a tattoo, the official brand of the Elven clan. Ylia's washable mark was the mark of the village.

"_Ylia," _he said, his tongue thick in Elvish. "_You have called. What dost you need?"_

"_Father, I've found something!" _She cheered, coming closer. "_A strange creature. Humans I think they are, as you've called them."_

"_Were you alone?" _he replied, pulling her farther into the house, away from the windows and where the walls could listen.

"_Ay, Father," _she replied, smiling. Elvish was much easier to talk in then the English her finding had spoken.

"_Ylia, we must be swift,"_ came the accented reply. Taking Ylia's bare hand in his gloved hands, the gloves lacking fingers, he pulled her through the house to the back. His cape acted as did Ylia's dress, like a cloud to escape with.

"_Where did you leave this finding?"_ He asked, once they were safely outside the village.

"_This way, Father," _she said, pulling him in the correct direction, _"it was injured, I pray you may do something about it."_

The man nodded. His black boots were perfect for the running. Along with those, he wore black pants and a tunic, dark green in its color, much darker than his eyes. The cape was a misty brown.

"_How much farther. If this be caught, my darling, the consequence shall be severe."_

"_Understood. But I am willing to take that risk."_ She urged out between pants, having not been used to running so often.

After what felt like ages, Kanda finally looked up to see Ylia dashing towards him again. Only this time, someone was with her. Having not enough light or ability to see, Kanda couldn't tell who they were, what they looked like, or anything. Just a blob. It got clearer the closer they got. And then, the man and Ylia were kneeling beside him. Only problem was, this man had those pointed ears too.

Just the sight set off the instilled fear in Kanda's heart, and he wanted to run. But breathing was hard on his ribs at the moment; running was out of the question. Having not been in much danger, he had no adrenaline to run on. He was scared of the Elves, but his body knew better than that. So he lay there.

"_Father, this is the one I spoke of," _Ylia explained, her words still unfamiliar to Kanda.

"_Yes, this is indeed a human, my dear,"_ The man replied, looking concerned as his eyes scanned Kanda. He wanted to crawl in a hole. _"You should've never left the house today, as I told you. Never have I minded your wandering feet, but when the humans draw near, you are to stay away from their ever wandering."_

"_But why?" _She inquired.

"_They are fierce, believing we are that of evil, and in that knowledge, seek to erase us,"_ He explained, looking down to see the confusion on Kanda's face. He cleared his throat.

"Your name, Sir," he said.

Kanda just blinked, a little confused at the sudden change of language.

"Your name," the blonde man demanded again.

"K-Kanda…" He said, eyes darting between the two.

"Kanda, a human I presume?" he asked.

Kanda only gave a nod.

"I am Wolf, third of the Elven Village Muzai's council. My daughter has indeed found you, but never will I betray the thoughts of my clan and keep you. However, at the bare request of my blood, I will house you for a day and no more, for your wounds to heal. After, she will return you to the outer rim. Ever, if I spot your movements, I cannot offer kindness, regretfully."

"A day for my wounds to heal?" Kanda asked, having that be the only thing he could figure to say.

Wolf nodded, "And only that."

Before Kanda could even begin to think about possibly protesting that a day was far from substantial time, he was hoisted into the air. Embarrassed just slightly by being held _bridal style_ by the blonde man, he just closed his eyes to try to relax. But that was hard when they started _running._ God did that Wolf run fast, faster than Kanda would've liked. Every slight knick in the road made him jump, and that hurt his ribs. If breathing was hard before, it was harder now.

The next thing Kanda was aware of, his eyes were opening again and he lay in a bed. Not a very comfortable bed, but a bed nonetheless. Pushing himself up on his elbows, he looked around. From what he could tell, he was on the second floor of a building and it was incredibly sunny outside. But the sun was slightly blocked by a figure standing near the window. The long brown hair gave the identity away immediately.

Kanda cleared his throat to attract her attention. She whirled around immediately and smiled.

"_Father! He has awakened, hither swiftly_," she called in that language unfamiliar. Then she was at his side, her smile lighting the room further. In her hand was a container, looking much like a wine bottle, only the cap was not of cork, but rather took on the identity of a flask lid. That was set to the side on a table before the elven girl pulled back the blankets to rest them, folded back slightly, at the ridge of his hips.

That's when he realized something he would've rather not noticed. Seeing his clothes hanging out the window wasn't much of a relief either. Well it was, just his shirt. So maybe he'd panicked…

"_He's awakened?" _Wolf inquired to Ylia as he came around a pole, marking the beginning of the steps.

Ylia responded with a nod and a smile.

"Kanda," Wolf addressed, walking to the side of the bed, "a relief to see you've awakened. I feared we had to be swift to the village. If any had seen you, there would've been no mercy. Whilst we don't agree to kill a human, if aggression is needed, then it shall be taken, death the only way."

Kanda nodded, rather annoyed though at how much this guy talked. But he lay back down and just listened.

"As I said, Ylia will return you to the outer rim, but will not go there herself. You are to return to whence you came, and I can promise no safety if you return… Though my daughter seems fascinated by you, you may never return to the forest. It is the barrier."

"Barrier? Look, I don't get half of what you're saying. Hell I don't even—"

"I would prefer if you didn't use that language, young man," Wolf retorted, a scowl on his face. "She may not know English, but I'll be dammed if she picks up on your fowl tongue."

Kanda rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I still don't know what you're talking about, I don't know about this _war_ everyone keeps mentioning, and I most certainly know nothing about you _Elves_."

"Uneducated, as most humans these days are," Wolf said, kneeling down beside the bed. "Regardless, I can teach you nothing. You are charged with the responsibly to learn. Ask those who take care of you." He took a cup and poured dark liquid in it from the flask. After motioning for Kanda to sit up, he gave him the cup.

"Drink it all; no matter if your human taste buds cannot tolerate it. It will be rid of the fractures and pain you have inflicted upon yourself."

"What about my horse?" Kanda asked, taking the cup and looking into it.

Wolf looked to Ylia.

"_His horse…"_ She thought for a moment before lighting up. _"Be it the brown one?" _

"Is you're horse brown?" Wolf asked.

"Yeah," Kanda said, still staring at the liquid.

Ylia knew the word "yeah", so from there, she jumped up and flew down the stairs.

"Drink, young man," Wolf commanded.

"It looks disgusting," he complained.

"I said _drink_ it," Wolf repeated, shoving the cup up.

Kanda was forced to swallow the thick liquid, as bitter as it tasted. The minute the cup was allowed to drop from his lips he started to gag.

"God, dammit, what the _fuck_ was that!?" He shouted, holding tightly to his throat.

Wolf didn't reply, just glared slightly.

Ylia was quick to weave out of the village again from the back before whirling around to begin to run. She didn't exactly know where the horse was, but if she worked hard enough, she'd be able to sense where the horse had gone. After a moment of wandering around, Ylia knew exactly where the horse, whose name she had learned to be Zeda, was.

Running through the forest, skipping and jumping over every obstacle, Ylia was smiling the entire way. This _human_ she'd found had intrigued her, and now she got to help the human! Who cared if it was against the code? Ylia never liked the code anyway; rather, she would've loved to do what she wanted, to be free to pass the outer rim of the forest.

It wasn't soon after she shut the thought of more freedom from her head that she came across Zeda, standing in a slight clearing munching on some grass. Ylia smiled and approached the horse, running her hand along its back as she came to face it.

"_Hello, Zeda,"_ Ylia said, holding onto her mussel with a smile. _"My name is Ylia, and I heard tell you lost your master,"_ she giggled, remembering that it was more of Kanda who lost his horse.

Zeda only whinnied in response.

Ylia giggled, _"Come, I can take you to your master. What was the name? Oh yes, Kanda."_

The next morning, Kanda was overly surprised to find the lack of pain. That disgusting liquid had done something for him. But there was no rest in store for him, as he was promptly yanked from the bed too early in the morning for any regular man. Before him stood Wolf, and only Wolf, with something in his hands.

"Come, Kanda," Wolf said before moving to the stairs, around the pole, before he started to descend. Kanda followed quickly, trying to keep up with the quick legs the man before him was equipped with. It was harder than it sounded, even though there was a simple flight of stairs and a slight turn to the middle of the house. But Kanda wasn't all that quick.

"_Ylia," _Wolf called to the girl, catching her attention. She smiled back at the two and walked up.

"_Ay, Father?"_ She replied.

"_Remember, you are to take Kanda to the outer rim and return immediately. Make haste and let no one spot you," _He reminded with his hands tight on her cloth covered shoulders.

She nodded and let her eyes wander around him to see Kanda. Her smile was directed to him now. And it was beautiful. Her thin fingers motioned for him to come with her, and he followed their direction. But they were stopped at the door by her father.

"_Ylia, wait,"_ Wolf said, handing her something. _"Tathar is his name, and protect you, he will."_

Ylia nodded and uncovered the object. Her face was adorned with a bright smile as a pure white dove landed atop her head with a protective "coo".

"G-go?" she turned to Kanda, meaning to ask if he was ready to depart. Kanda nodded and opened the door, allowing Ylia to walk out first. However, it was mainly due to the most menacing glare he'd ever seen such a small and white bird make.

The walk through the forest began, and it was still just as dark as it was the first time Kanda had entered. After staying in the sunny village of the Elves, it was even harder to see out in the trees. But it didn't matter, Ylia had insisted, with hand motions, that he sit on the horse and let her guide them through. Apparently she knew these woods better than anyone who lived in them, and for that reason, Kanda found himself able to trust her as he climbed up onto Zeda to just wait the whole ride through. With Ylia's hand guiding the horse, they began the journey to the outer rim.

For a forest, it was quiet. Not a bird cooed, not an animal roared, not a tree rustled. So all Kanda could do was listen to the slight crunch Ylia's feet made against the foliage covered ground. It was truly amazing how the young girl could walk through such a place with bare feet, while every other Elf he'd seen had been wearing shoes or boots. He wished to ask her, but he knew she couldn't understand, nor could she answer. Mentally tucking away the question, he let himself relax and close his eyes.

Not long after he'd closed his eyes did he feel something strange around his middle. Opening one eye, he saw that bird, and it made him jump. The bird let out an annoyed "tweet" and hopped away into flight, landing on Ylia's head. He glared at the stupid little rodent before sitting up straight. His eyes scanned the area.

"_Beautiful out, yes?" _He heard Ylia mumble. She apparently didn't know he was awake, or she wouldn't be talking. After all, she hadn't said a word to him.

Ylia sighed, smiling as she continued to trudge. _"Oh, careful, Zeda,"_ Ylia giggled, slowing to let the old mare step over a log. Kanda recognized the name; apparently names stayed the same, well almost. "Zeda" was mixed with an incredibly thick accent that almost made the name unrecognizable. But he didn't speak a word and just listened to the strange tongue.

"_Don't want to get hurt now, do we?" _She giggled, _"You're master wouldn't be too happy. He seems like an angry one, hm? Oh well, I'm sure you're used to it,"_ her giggling was constant, but Kanda had to admit, it was adorable, like a child's. _"Living with someone forever sure seems to help with that, does it not?"_ Ylia sighed and let her lips close.

What felt like ages passed before Kanda saw the sun again and felt Zeda begin to slow as Ylia let her hand drop. That bird on her head flew up and gave Kanda a peck to the shoulder, as a warning, before it settled down on the clothed shoulder of Ylia's. After that, Ylia nodded a goodbye and turned around to head back into the forest. But she didn't leave; she turned just her head to watch as Kanda road off into the fields just outside the rim. The fields were beautiful, and how Ylia wished she could walk out there, to feel the human's grass between her toes. She wondered if it felt different.

Once home, Kanda was quick to tie Zeda in the stable and leave, his boots crunching the hay below. Outside the stable, however, was not something he wanted to see. That annoying red-head always jumping around to stick his nose into places where it shouldn't be. And how Kanda's hands twitched with anger.

"What do you want?" He spat, adverting his gaze.

"Well, ya kinda dis'ppeared and yer paren's are worried, Yu," Lavi explained, pushing off the tree he had taken up as a support to follow Kanda.

"Tch, why should I care?" Kanda asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. Feeling the familiar callus on callus was better than those smooth perfect Elf hands touching him.

"Because they're ya parents?" Lavi scratched the back of his head, careful not to move the headband planted so firmly around his head.

"Stupidest reason ever," Kanda grumbled, stopping to lean against the back side of his house.

"They just wanna know where ya been," Lavi sighed, crossing his arms.

"Thinking, good enough for you?" he sneered.

"Hey," He threw up his hands, "I ain't the rea'on you're here. Go te'l yer paren's that," he finished.

Kanda rolled his eyes, "Then get lost," he snapped, turning on his heel to get away from the red-headed nuisance as fast as he could.

Kanda moved into his house, careful to avoid making a sound, and moved up the stairs to his room. It was almost scary how much his house resembled Ylia's. But he couldn't be thinking about that right now. He had more important things to think about. The _Efforts_. He'd met the Elves, and they weren't that bad. Except that Wolf character. Just thinking about him made Kanda's skin crawl. So kind yet his voice was backed with cruelty. How was that even possible? Yet that look in his eye softened when he looked at Ylia, his daughter. And where was Ylia's mother?

Kanda shook his head. This joining of the Efforts would be one of the hardest decisions he's made. Not that he exactly had a choice in the matter. The Elders had chosen him to go fight, _him._ Why couldn't it have been Lavi? He was a good fighter. Or anyone else for that matter? Kanda didn't want to fight anything; he'd rather go out to the fields and sleep away from people and noise, the two things he hated most. But if this was his calling—

"Yu?" his mother's soft voice came from the opening in the floor that was the stairs.

"Hm?" He grumbled.

Her small footsteps continued until she stood not a foot away from the bed which he laid in, "Yu, you're father and I would like to talk to you. Perhaps ask where you've been for the past day…" she trailed off, letting the sadness in her eyes do the talking. This wasn't the son she wanted to raise, a son who hated everything and everyone.

Kanda sighed and pushed off the bed, "Yeah." He followed his mother down the stairs, in silence, and came to sit at the table with her and his father. Feeling quite like he was in trouble, he leaned his face against his fist and listened.

"Kanda," his father addressed, "where have you been?"

"That way," Kanda mumbled, pointing in the general direction of the grassy plains. That only got him a glare from his father, so he lied, "Near the outer rim. I've been thinking, that's all," he said, not making eye contact.

His father took the lie and nodded, "Well, in your time of absence…we talked to the village Elders for you," he explained, catching Kanda's attention.

"Yeah?"

"Yes, and they informed us of something you would be quite pleased to know. They've given you time to think joining the Efforts over, just because you are a warrior, and the best they've seen in a while. If you're not fully into it, then what is the point?"

Kanda nodded.

"And," his mother continued, "they did give us a time limit. But they didn't tell it. This is only to insure you think about it and don't put it off…" again, she trailed off, letting the sadness talk in her eyes. She didn't want her son to go to war.

"Really?" Kanda sat straight up, looking far more interested than he ever had.

His mother nodded, "Be off then, don't waste a minute not thinking."

Kanda nodded and excused himself from the table.

Ylia had finally returned to the village, this time entering from the front. Inhabitants were still there to wave at her, but it was getting late in their Elven village, and most would be heading to bed. The girl had the same thought, but also lingering was the never-ending curiosity to see that human again, to see where he lived. But shoving the thought from her mind, she picked up her pace slightly to move quicker to the center of the village, in which seemed to be a whole other village. Yet they were the same.

She stepped through the small opening of the flowery fence and began to travel the only cobble stone path in the town. The first left was her path, taking it; she followed for less than a meter before coming to her own house. Entering the small gate, she walked past the small yard and came to the door. Hesitating slightly, she opened the door as slowly as she could. Sometimes it squeaked and sometimes it didn't. This time it did, and that alerted her father, from the kitchen right there, that she had returned.

"_Ylia,_" He said, looking towards her as she walked into the house.

"_Ay, Father?"_ she replied, looking at him. Wolf was striding towards her.

"_You're late coming home,_" He explained, letting his hands come to rest on her shoulders. _"I bid thee, are you ok?"_

Ylia nodded, giving no words to explain herself. Wolf sighed and let his hands fall, _"I was worried. Never have you been late."_

Ylia nodded again, not quite knowing how to explain anything. She moved around Wolf and glided across the room, her bare feet making no noises against the wooden floors. With a final look to her father, she moved up the stairs to retire.

Wolf sighed and sat down at the table, resting his head in his hands. She hadn't asked for dinner, she'd gone straight to bed. Was something wrong with Ylia? Was she upset, hurt? Wolf shook his head and let it fall to the table. Clueless as he ever was with his daughter, he still wanted to help her. Whilst he could never understand any infatuation she had with the human world, he could still do his best. Couldn't he?

With a sigh, Wolf pushed himself from the table and moved towards the stairs. Hesitation found his boots as he couldn't move up the stairs. What if it was something he couldn't help with? Something he didn't understand. _Or worse._ Gulping down his nervousness, Wolf climbed the stairs ever so slowly, letting his entire boot hit the next stair before continuing onwards. It felt like an eternity before he finally reached the top, Ylia's room.

The young girl was sitting on a stool, staring at the window with some sort of longing in her eyes. Hardly did she blink, her breathing wasn't too obvious. What could she possibly be staring at? The Elven village held nothing in its sky.

"_Ylia,_" Wolf said, catching the girl's attention. She scrambled away from the window, but stopped moving when Wolf held up his hand. _"What is wrong, my child?"_

"_Nothing, Father,_" She replied.

He shook his head, sitting her back down on the stool, _"Do not lie to me," _he smiled,_ "for I've known you too long to believe them."_

Ylia smiled back, _"Father, what do you know of humans?"_

That took him a minute to process. His daughter wanted to know about humans? He'd already committed a transgression by helping one, telling his only daughter _about_ them wouldn't make things much better. Biting his bottom lip, he pulled up another seat.

"_Why do you wish to know about them?" _He requested.

"_Well…he was interesting. The way he talked, moved, looked!" _Ylia's eyes lit up as she spoke of the wanderer she'd found. _"Did you find no interest in him, Father?"_

Wolf shook his head, _"Albeit, he was not hostile in his actions, he is still a human. And all human men are destined to fight in the War, even he."_ He stopped, looking down as his daughter's eyes lost their luster.

"_Father, please tell me."_

"_That man you found, like all human men, is destined to join the war between the Elves and the Humans. One day, and one day soon I fear, he will join. He could cause the death of many of our kind,"_ Wolf stood and turned his back, no longer able to look at the lamentable face his daughter housed. 

"_I sense great power in him, and its power derived from anger, Ylia. It is what all Humans thrive on, which is why they are so evil to our kind. Granted I find no real threat in him, but…that does not change my decision. Ylia, one day he will fight. And on that day he will be your enemy…" _

He left it at that, bidding her a goodnight and moving back down the stairs. He could only hope and pray she understood. Understood that he knew that look in her eye. Understood what he meant. Understood that he knew what it felt like to love a human.

Ylia remained seated, watching her father's cape swish as he disappeared down the stairs. From there, she let her mind wander at the possibilities. Her father never said things he didn't mean. In spite of the fact that he tended to be cryptic when giving her some life lesson, he still said what he meant. This way was intended to have the girl think by her own means, and not be dependent on another's mind.

After a few minutes of thinking, she came to a conclusion. _"And on that day he will be your enemy…"_ It could only mean one thing. He had to be giving her pardon to meet with him, until they were enemies, until that day he joined the fight. On that day he would be her enemy, and each village's words were the same.

"Contact with the enemy is treason and will be met with death."

But Ylia didn't mind that. She just wanted to learn more about the Humans, and even him. But before then, she giggled, she'd have to learn how to speak to them.

With a smile on her face, she moved to go to sleep. Her father would have qualms about teaching her the language of the Humans. After all, if she was to follow in his footsteps, she'd need to be fluent.

Wandering through the market street, a basket hanging from his arm, which was hence shoved into his pocket as to not seem so girly, Kanda was in search of some food his mother had requested. Some vegetables, not that he exactly cared to fetch them for his _dear_ mother, but he'd do so anyway. It wasn't like it would take that long anyway. That was if he ever found what he was looking for. Not every day did he find himself in the market place, even in its small size.

Another step or two and he finally found what he was looking for. Purchasing it, he turned to see quite a strange sight. A girl, not past the age of twelve, walking along the dirt path, hand in hand with her father. For the oddest reason, Kanda walked away from the stand with his mind wandering to Ylia. At least he hoped he'd remembered her name correctly. Shaking his head, for he knew he had it right, he returned to let his mind wander further.

"Hope I didn't get her in trouble…" he mumbled to himself as he took a slight left turn.

His thoughts were thoroughly interrupted when suddenly an arm slapped itself around his shoulders and he was forced to stumble a bit as an extra weight was added.

"Hey, ya ther'Yu!" Lavi said, too overly ecstatic for Kanda's taste.

"I said don't call me that," He grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Lavi laughed, "Ye'Yeah whatev's. So, what's da big ba'Yu doin' at the lil'ol'market?"

"Picking something up for my mother, what are you doing here, bastard?"

"So harsh," he clenched his fist over his heart in a mocking manner, "I'm so hurt, Yu!"

"Whatever. Look, leave me alone, I'm not in the mood for your mouth today," Kanda tried to shake the red-head off of him, but to no avail.

"Wh's that?" Lavi asked, truly unaware.

"I have to think," Kanda shook him off, "about the…War."

"…Oh," Lavi said, rubbing the back of his head. "If you want my opinion, which you don't," it shocked Kanda to hear his friend talk normally for the first time ever, "I think I'd be good for ya. But of course, you gotta take in all the factors. Family, friends, anyone special. Those kinda things…" he shrugged.

Kanda nodded, "…Thanks," he said before hurrying off, before Lavi could switch back.

From there, Kanda moved as fast as he could towards home, seeing as how he was late enough as it was, he didn't need to be later. And so, when he arrived back home, he dashed through the door and over to his mother, presenting her with the basket.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized, uncharacteristically, and bowed slightly. She replied with a smile and let him off with a fake warning, adding in a fake threat to think about his decision. She wanted him to say no, she didn't mind if he didn't think about it.

From there, he moved past his father, without a word of even eye contact, and stomped up the steps to hide himself in his room.

"M-m…my?" Ylia said, resting her head on her hand in utter confusion.

Wolf nodded, _"You have to finish this one line, and then we'll break."_

Ylia nodded. She'd been sitting on this stool for what felt like days now. She'd gotten the courage that morning to ask Wolf to teach her the Human language. She just didn't think it would be this hard. Not that she'd thought it was going to be easy, just not this hard.

"_Again, Ylia,"_ Wolf urged.

"M-my…my," she took a deep breath. "My. My n-name. My name." she sighed, rubbing her temples.

"_You're almost there. Listen carefully._ My name is Ylia," Wolf explained, sitting beside her.

"My name…" she ran through the words he spoke again, replaying their sounds in her mind, "…is?" she looked to her father for approval.

He nodded and smiled, commending her.

She smiled, "My name is Ylia."

Wolf smiled, placing his hand on her shoulder, _"Excellent, Ylia. We'll break for now, and return later today."_

Ylia nodded, standing from the stool to stretch. _"How say I, Father, in the Human language?" _She asked, turning to face him.

"_There are many ways, albeit only four to be exact."_

"_How?"_

"Father, Dada, Dad, and Daddy," he informed, slightly straightening out his clothing.

Ylia smiled, and without a word, waved, and left.

In her excitement, Ylia left the Elven village without a word to her father to wander the forest. She moved swiftly back to the outer rim, yet in her journey stopped to talk to the animals, whom always seemed to speak back with their eyes. Her wish to see Kanda again, maybe show him what she'd learned, though it wasn't much. Much to her disappointment though, when she reached the outer rim, Kanda wasn't there. Not like she'd expected him to be, he had a home. With a sigh, she sat down against a tree, out of sight, and closed her eyes.

With a mumbled obscenity and a kick to his horse, Kanda rode from the village to find a quiet place to think. The confines of his room proved to do no good, as his mother and father were constantly asking for his assistance. And the minute he'd walked out, his presumed _best friend_ had invaded his space and surrounded him with annoying words.

It didn't take long before he was back in the fields. The beautiful sunny fields, how he hated them. He jumped off his horse and hit the ground, slightly bending at the knee to lessen the impact. With a kick the unsuspecting flowers, he plopped down into the grass.

His noise, more so, his cussing, had been the thing that woke Ylia up. It took her a moment to get used to the light before she was able to stand up. Yawning and stretching, the girl fully awoke just in time to hear Kanda mutter something else. She leaned against the tree, peeking out from it to watch him.

"God…stupid war," he rolled over onto his front, "I shouldn't have to fight in it, I shouldn't have to think about it either. Stupid everything. Sure as hell, I'd love to go fight, but…" he sighed, "stupid."

But. But there were reason he didn't say "Sign me up" all too quick. The looks in his mother's eyes were one. Every time the made eye contact, her eyes were dull and full of sadness. They were pleading him to choose no, not to go join the Efforts. His father on the other hand, babying master as he was, was still proud of his years as a general in the Efforts, and wanted nothing more than for his son to follow in his footsteps.

Was that all though? No. The Efforts were against the Elves, a war with a race that Kanda knew nothing about. And when he'd been stupid enough to enter the forest, he couldn't help but feel it was a lie. There were no beasts in the forest. Sure, he heard the occasional bird tweet or the snore of sleeping cat, but not beasts. Nothing tried to attack him, except those branches, curse them as they lay upon the ground. And then there was that elf girl, Ylia. What a roll of the tongue, Ylia. And how beautiful it sounded in its roll.

Sure, the con was her father; Kanda really didn't like her father. But…if he li—

Kanda shot up out of the grass when his trained ears caught onto a noise. His eyes scanned the area and he saw nothing. Zeda hadn't made the noise, yet nothing else was around to make it. Slowly standing, he took one last look of the area before mounting his horse and riding off.

Ylia stood behind the tree, mentally beating herself for stepping on the branch. But as Kanda made his sweep of the landscape, Ylia leaned back over the tree to watch him. And she smiled as she did. He looked strong. And so she smiled, even as Kanda left upon his horse. But Zeda knew that Ylia was there. Yet under the reign of her master, Zeda made no point to it and left without a fight. Ylia's smile faded, and she could only _hope_ that he'd be back.

But after what seemed like ages, Ylia knew Kanda wasn't coming back or at least anytime soon. So with a heavy heart, she stood from the ground and turned to make her way back to the village. It was getting late anyway, and if Ylia wasn't back by evening break, Wolf wouldn't be too happy with her. Several times she'd done it already and he was losing patience with the girl.

It came as a bit of a shock to Wolf to see his daughter walk into the house. Not because he wasn't expecting her home, but because of the way she did it. Her head was down, her feet carried her slow and were heavy as they moved. When she closed the door, she leaned against it long enough to sigh before standing again. She didn't even grant her father a look as she passed him for the stairs. And trudging up them seemed to be hard for the girl in her strange state.

Hesitating slightly, Wolf dropped the papers in his hand and stood from the table. He crossed the floor and followed up the stairs after he was positive Ylia was sitting on her bed now. However, when he reached the top, he wasn't expecting to see her lying in her bed with an almost dead aura around her. Like she wanted to cry.

"_Ylia?"_ He asked, coming closer. He took her stool and set it up by her bed before taking a seat. He reached out to brush the girl's bangs from her face, but still she made no response.

"_Ylia…"_ Wolf sighed, resting his head in his palm.

She looked up at him, trying her best to smile, but it didn't work. Her eyes fell closed when Wolf rested a hand on her arm. Silence fell between the two. Wolf had never been great at helping the girl, though he'd done the best that he could. But as Ylia got older her problems got harder and harder to deal with. When she was little it was that the other children would make fun of her since she liked to be around animals more than studying to do magic and make things. When she'd become older, her complaint became school and how it was boring and easy. That's when Wolf had started teaching her what he knew on the side. Being an official, he knew more than the schools could teach. But now, Ylia's problem seemed to be something he didn't know how to deal with.

"_Ylia, be this about that Human male?"_ Wolf asked, steadily rubbing her shoulder.

She only returned a nod.

"_Then what ails you about him?"_

She shrugged.

"_Ylia, please…"_ Wolf trailed off with a sigh.

"_Father…is it bad that I would to see him?"_ Ylia asked, looking up at him through her bangs.

Wolf shook his head, trying to tell her how to deal with this without letting his own secret out was hard, but he'd do it. For Ylia. _ "It's not bad, however…I don't want you to get hurt in the end,"_ his hand came to rest on her cheek. _"Dear Ylia…"_ he trailed off, standing and taking a swift leave.

Ylia watched him go, forcing herself not to get up and call for him to come back. Instead, she just curled up on her bed, closing her eyes to let one stray tear drop. The only one in the house to comfort her now was Tathar, and the little dove was trying. He acted strangely like a cat, rubbing his head into Ylia's hand, trying to get her to move. But she wouldn't. She only moved to pet the dove carefully before letting her arm drop again. And Tathar was not pleased.

Maybe an hour passed before Wolf returned to the house. He felt terrible for leaving in such a rush, but he had to get something before sunset. Having left to get retrieve a recipe from the Archives, he now held the potion it made in his hands. He was quick to climb the stairs; he still was prepared to see Ylia.

"_Ylia!"_ Wolf called, leaving the potion on her desk and swiftly coming to the side of the bed. Dropping to one knee, he ran his hand over the side of her face, brushing her bangs away in the process. She opened her eyes to look at him, only closing them again once she saw her father. Her body shook from her sobbing, and she was utterly certain that she'd be left alone to cry.

But Wolf didn't even give himself a minute to think before he hugged her, pulling her up from her lying position. He in turn sat on the bed and held Ylia, held her like she was a child, and allowed her to cry on his shoulder.

"_Ylia, pray tell, what's wrong?"_ he asked.

However, she only sobbed, hands holding tightly to his clothes. Wolf's hand ran soothingly up and down her back, coaxing her into silence, until her tears stopped.

"_I'm sorry…"_ She sniffed, pulling away from Wolf. He, in returned, just pulled her back into the embrace, shocking her just slightly.

"_Do not apologize, dear. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you, and I apologize for that. However, I somewhat sensed your problem and have something for you."_

"_What is it?" _she asked.

But Wolf shook his head, _"You shall see later. Right now, I only wish for your happiness again."_

Ylia smiled, rubbing her eyes furiously._ "I'm alright, Father. Thank you."_

Wolf returned the smile, a smile he didn't smile often, and moved to fetch the forgotten potion. When he returned to sit on the bed, Ylia looked at the bottle with great curiosity.

"_This, Ylia, is a potion of my own creation. It will allow you easier time in learning the Human's language. Yes, it is the easy way out, but in a situation like this, I can think of no other way to ease your meeting with the Human."_

Ylia smiled, a huge childish smile, of nothing but joy and happiness. _"Are you saying…?"_

Wolf nodded, _"I will allow you to meet with the Human if you so choose. You seem to have connected with him, and that's all I can ask for,"_ Wolf smiled, placing his hand on her cheek. He gave the vial to Ylia, but she simply placed it on her bed. Quickly, she embraced her father.

"_Thank you, Daddy! Thank you!"_ she giggled, holding tightly.

Wolf smiled, returning the hug. Okay, so maybe he wasn't as clueless as he liked to think he was.

The next morning, Ylia was up bright and early. The potion served as a quick drink with breakfast, but then came the hard part. Learning the language. She was determined

Kanda yawned, stretching his tight limbs as he walked out in to the early morning sunlight. The village was just waking up, and not many people were out and about. But that was ok with Kanda, seeing as how he didn't want to see people anyway. He still needed to think. However, weighing the pros and cons of joining the War wasn't helping. At all.

The pros? He'd get away from his family. He'd get away from Lavi. He'd get away from this god forsaken village. He'd finally be able to fight something, instead of just spar. He'd be able to kill something, whether it is an Elf or not. Most likely he'd become a hero of the Human race, and that was always a plus. He might get a new horse, which would be nice. But Zeda was irreplaceable. So that would be marked down in the "not really a con but not a pro either" department.

And what about the cons? Well… What would Ylia think? And that was the only one his overworked brain could come up with. Sad thing was, he couldn't even think of a reason why he was thinking of that. He'd met the Elf girl once, and now he was thinking about her like she'd hate him if he joined the Efforts? Great.

So it came down to what would be better? Having a girl he barely knew hate him or getting away from his village? He couldn't decide. For most in Kanda's case, it would've been an easy choice. This girl wasn't that important, so forget her.

But then, he thought as he sat down beneath a tree, how long did he have to think about this? The Village Elders haven't given him a time frame, or if they had, they hadn't told him. Kanda shook his head before dropping it into his hands to rub his temples. He could only think so much before that vein in his forehead would surly pop.

Shaking his head, he stood up. What would make this easier to handle? He couldn't ask his parents, they'd report him and Ylia. Which totally made Kanda feel loved, they were his parents. Well maybe his mom wouldn't, but his dad surely would. He couldn't tell Lavi. Lavi was an annoying prick and would most likely blab about it. There was no one else he could tell, except Ylia herself. And there wasn't any kind of guarantee that they would see each other.

It was settled. He'd spend another day wasting away in his room thinking this over.

Kanda rose early with the sun, before anyone else could get up. It was even still a little dark outside, but the sun would turn up sooner or later. He stole out of the house, careful not to disturb his parents on the bottom floor, and moved to the stable. Zeda was up already, ready to do her master's bidding as he untied her and led her out of the barn. He mounted her, given a slight kick, and she was off into a trot in the direction of the fields.

By the time they reached the grassy plains, the sun was starting to peak over the horizon, like the yolk of an egg. It was providing just a bit of light to shine off the morning dew, creating a sparkling field of slightly damp flowers and grass. Jumping down into the grass wasn't a great idea, he'd chosen to not put on his boots, so his feet immediately were wet, but he didn't care. Taking the blanket from Zeda's back, he set it down on the ground before laying on it. With the morning stars still out, he could get a few hours or so of shut-eye before he needed to think again.

When he awoke again, the sun was higher in the sky, but he'd only really been asleep for an hour or two. However, it was time to thinking again. He rolled onto his stomach and cradled his head in his arms. Once comfortable, he weighted the pros and cons again.

"Good morning, Ylia," Wolf said as she sat at the table. She looked at him, like she was pondering something, before responding.

"G-good morning," she smiled.

"Don't worry," he said, setting out a plate with her morning meal on it, "we won't speak in this language often. Just today, so you may practice."

"Of c-c-course," she replied, delicately picking up a utensil to begin eating.

"It'll get easier to speak when you get used to it," he joined her on the opposite side of the table, "don't worry."

She nodded, "Daddy, will…will I be a-able to see…uhm…" Her cheeks flushed, she remembered his name, but she didn't know exactly how to say it.

But Wolf knew what she meant and nodded nonetheless, "Yes you will be. Just, Ylia," he sighed, "I want you to be as careful as you can. I don't…I don't want you to get hurt, ok?"

Ylia nodded, "Of c-course, Daddy. I'll be c-careful," she smiled.

He nodded in reply, and they ate their morning meal in silence.

Ylia was quickly ready to leave the house, Tathar quietly nested on her head. She waved her father a goodbye, in the Human language, before she left the house. Down the cobble stone path she walked until it met the dirt. She continued to move until she passed through the veil and out into the forest. She smiled; one forest to go.

It wasn't long before she was able to reach the fields. However, hesitant as she was taught to be, Ylia second guessed herself. Was it right to see Kanda again? Should she cross into the Human's territory? Taking a deep breath, she nodded to herself as the dove landed upon her shoulder. Ylia smiled and cleared the outer rim, coming face to face with the sun and the bright day. And the figure of a sleeping man. She couldn't help but giggle slightly as she watched the man turn over, groaning and slightly snoring. It was rare and Elf man snored.

She hesitated for only a second before passing through the outer rim and coming to stand in the fields. The fields full of grass sown by the humans. Wiggling her toes deep into it, she smiled. It did feel different. It wasn't as soft, and it was a nice change. Her feet led her across the field, yet stopped her right before the man. Bending over slightly to look at him, she giggled again when he stirred.

Removing the arm from his eyes, Kanda let them flicker open from a nap he didn't know he'd just been taking. The sun was gone. It was getting late, or it was going to storm or—

Kanda jumped to a sitting position, almost bumping the girl in the forehead in the process, but just barely missing. For added measure, Kanda got a glare from that annoying little dove that sat on her shoulder. Blinking a few times to get rid of the drowsiness, and perhaps see if this was a figment of his imagination, Kanda looked up at her. He rubbed his eyes. But no, this girl was standing there, looking at him with her head titled to the side and a smile on her face.

Another thing to shock Kanda, he looked down again and her hand was extended to him. His eyes darted back up to her face, still smiling.

"Need some help?" she asked, fluently.

Stunned momentarily, Kanda needed just a second to think. This girl that he'd met only three days ago was speaking to him in his language. Perfectly. Asking if he needed help. He'd be dammed if he needed help getting off the ground.

He scoffed and stood up on his own, "No."

"Oh…" she suddenly felt incredibly stupid and pulled her hand back, standing straight as she dropped it behind her back.

That pang of guilt that shot through him when he saw Ylia's eyes lose all their shine was a bit of a foreigner in Kanda, but he apologized quickly, just to see her smile again. Which she did, of course.

"You look better when you smile," Kanda said, quickly punching himself mentally. He hadn't _meant_ to say that. Turning his back to her, he let his face turn a little red.

Ylia giggled, "Thank you. So," she moved to see his face again, "are you impressed?"

"With what?" his voice was gruff. He turned again.

"With my speaking," she stepped in front of him.

Kanda shrugged and crossed his arms.

She frowned, "I worked hard. Daddy said it takes on average six months to learn your human language. I learned it in three days."

Ok, even Kanda had to admit that impressed him a little bit. Or a lot. Hell, he was impressed. But wait, six months? The average human child didn't start speaking until they were around one or two years old. Kanda sighed, feeling stupider by the second.

"Yeah, fine. I'm impressed," he huffed out. But he didn't expect the reaction. Ylia almost squealed, looking happier than she'd ever looked. And then she hugged him. That caught Kanda off guard. He just stood there, awkwardly, and let her hug him. That was until she got bored and stepped back, her hands on her hips. But she still smiled.

"So, what are you doing out here?" she left off his name. That was the one thing Wolf couldn't teach her how to say.

"Thinking," Kanda replied as he turned and bent to pick up the blanket.

"About?" Ylia moved again. She didn't like always seeing his back. Regardless of how—no, she would not think that.

He stood up straight again, folding the blanket three times, "I've been told I'm wanted to serve in the war," Kanda said. Dread overfilled Ylia the minute he said that.

"But, since I am the best warrior in the village, they've given a choice to me. Dunno why, but they have. So now I have to come up with an answer before they come haul me off or whatever."

"O-Oh… you are not going to join are you?" she'd added to much worry into that. Hoping Kanda didn't realize, she fought back the feeling of hiding.

Kanda shrugged, "I might. Sounds better than hanging around here," he looked at her, "I mean, my family sucks. And I have the worst friend," he sighed.

"Well…they are your family and the people closest to you," Ylia crossed her arms lightly, just to block out the slight breeze. "You should enjoy them while you have them."

"All my father cares about is getting me into the war to _make me a man_ or some stupid thing like that. My mother just wants me to stay safe. And I can't live in that house forever."

"Yes, but I insist they just want what is best for you. You should want what is best for them as well, but while keeping yourself happy," Ylia insisted.

"That's hard. I can't join the war, stay safe, and keep myself happy, if that's what you're implying," he turned and threw the blanket over Zeda's back.

"Then what would make you happy?" Ylia asked, trying to keep him there, as he had just pulled himself onto the horse's back.

"What would make me happy? The war's end. Peace. Maybe a family," and with that, he pulled Zeda's mane. She turned and ran off at her master's command.

With Kanda gone, Ylia knew she didn't have much reason to stand there in the field. Yet she did. Not an inch. It wasn't because the field was beautiful. It wasn't because the flowers reminded her of home. It wasn't because the sun felt so different from the sun in her village. It was because of Kanda. What was it about Kanda that made her stand there? She didn't know. Maybe it was that the things that would make him happy would make her happy too. But only if her family was—

She heard a noise in the distance. One that sounded like a gun. On instinct, she turned and flew back into the forest. Ylia had never been outside the outer rim. Or, if anyone came to that spot, that's what they'd think.

When Kanda returned to the village, everyone seemed to be in a panic. Or maybe that wasn't quite the word. While everyone was running around, everything seemed overly quiet. After letting Zeda into the stable, Kanda hurried off to see what was wrong. Lavi would know what everyone was going on about.

Once Kanda finally spotted the young man, he was already out of breath. Lavi was sitting under a tree, out of the way of all the people shuffling to the square, reading a book. His head was rested in his hand, his eyes slowly closing. Whatever he was reading, it must've been boring him to death.

"You, Usagi," Kanda called, walking over to him. Once standing in front of him, Kanda crossed his arms.

"Hm? Hey, Yu," Lavi yawned, looking up.

"What's going on around town? Everything is so—"

"Awkward? Yeah, I got'hat. Some big 'noucement er sumptin," he yawned again.

"What's the announcement?" Kanda asked. "And why are you reading?"

"Hm? Gramps made me," he said. That caused Kanda to raise an eyebrow. As far as anyone in the village knew, Lavi had fallen out of the sky as a child. No one knew about any family.

"Who?"

"What? Oh'othing. Jus' the groggy speaking," Lavi chuckled nervously. He jumped up, "Le's go find out wha's goin on, yeah?"

Kanda nodded. And the two ran off.

Running and squeezing through the crowd of people had to have been the most difficult thing Kanda had ever done. Following Lavi didn't make it better. That kid seemed to be able to squeeze and jump through any space. Like a rabbit, Kanda mused. Kanda, on the other hand, was content to push people out of his way and growl at them to move. They wouldn't dare say no to him. After all, he was the one the Elders had personally chosen to win their war.

"Come on, Kanda!" Lavi shouted, stopping for a second to latch onto Kanda's wrist and pull him.

"Gah! You stupid—!" Kanda shouted back, continuing to run with Lavi until they had fought their way to the front of the crowd. Small as it was. One of the Elders stepped out to speak.

"Today, we have received news of a death. A death of one of our most beloved Elders and general," the old one spoke. "Yeegar has fallen. At the hands of an Elf."

A gasp came from the crowd. Kanda rolled his eyes.

"But not just any Elf. One of their own leaders."

The color just retreated from Kanda's face as the Elder looked straight at him. His eyes were piercing, accusing, like it was Kanda's fault or his job even.

"His name is Akira. And rest assured, my good people, he will be disposed of," With a final look to Kanda, the Elder left.

Then, the crowd dispersed and went back to their normal everyday lives. Lavi and Kanda, however, retraced their steps to sit down under the shade of the tree. Lavi closed the old book and placed it to the side, moving to sit slightly on his hip while he leaned against the tree. Kanda, on the other hand, looked straight ahead.

"Pre'y intense, yeah? God, he was lookin' right at ya!" Lavi exclaimed.

Kanda nodded, "Probably because he wants me to join the war and _avenge our leader_. Or some stupid thing like that," he scoffed.

Lavi chuckled and turned his back to the tree, sliding down slightly so the small of his back was on the ground. "Ya'think? Ya'rob'ly right. Didn't hafta be s'creepy though. Thought he was gonna eat yer head off!" Lavi laughed silently.

Kanda sighed, "Yeah… So, an Elven Leader killed one of ours."

"Tha's what da news says."

"Sort of ironic. But I still don't know if I should join the war," Kanda sighed.

"Use da'phrase car'ful'y, Yu. 'Round here, s'the Effort," Lavi reminded, a stern look in his single eye. The hair dropping under his headband and over his face pretty much covered it though.

"I know. I still don't know if I should join it though. I have nothing against the Elves, why should I go around killing them?"

Lavi shrugged, his hands being shoved into his pockets, "I guess ya'shouldn't. But it's a race fight, ya'know? We'on't like them 'cause they're diff'rent. Vise-versa."

"Is that really all it is?" Kanda asked.

"Ask yer dad, he should know."

"My _dad_ won't tell me," Kanda sneered the word, just to show his hate for it.

Lavi tilted his head to look at Kanda, "Really? Th'eaten him. Say ya'won't e'en think 'bout joining an'more if he don't tell ya."

Kanda smirked, bonking Lavi on the head, "Great idea. I knew you had something in that head of yours," he stood up and walked away.

Lavi, on the other hand, just slid farther down the tree, hiking his shirt up in the process, and pouted, his hands on his head.

Kanda stomped through the threshold of his house, moving over to the small table, making ever stomp of his boots noticeable. His father looked up at him, away from his midday meal. He wasn't pleased to see Kanda stomping like he was a five year old, but then again, Kanda had never grown out of stomping when he was mad. So there was no argument there.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I refuse to think about joining the _Efforts_ anymore until you tell me why the fuck we're out their fighting the Elves and _dying_ at their hands," his fists hit the table.

"Then sit," his father offered. But Kanda hadn't outgrown the _"refuse-to-listen-to-my-parents-when-I'm-mad"_ phase either.

"Alright, don't sit. I'll be right back though," his father stood and left the house all together. Kanda took this momentary absence to sit at the table.

When his father returned, he had a book with him. Gently placing it on the table, the old man sat down as well. A stern look was on his face, and he meant business. He was going to get his son to follow in his footsteps. While Kanda had too much of a temper to be a great general, he could still climb his way up.

"The Elves and the Humans have had a long standing hatred of each other. From our point of view: the Elves are heathens. They practice magic and sacrifices and Alchemy. There was a time where they tested their creations on the Humans, Humans they would take hostage. These Humans would die, each and every time. Nine times out of Ten, it would be a drawn out and painful death.

"They have melded the forest into the image it is today. Dark, dreary, an impassible maze, save if you know where you're going. The Elves created it as a way to kill Humans, to make them suffer as they die, are eaten alive by the beast they run into in the unkempt vines and trees," his father finished. He closed the book as well, having finished with its knowledge.

"That _seems_ like a good reason to fight them…" Kanda muttered. "But it seems like that Humans hate them just because they're different."

"Yet, it's more than that, son."

Kanda shrugged.

His father sighed, "It will be good for you to join the Efforts and experience this for yourself."

Kanda gave no answer, just stood and left for his room.

The next morning came and left swiftly. And still Kanda had not come to the fields. Ylia was left there to sit against the tree, her knees pulled to her chest. Tathar was happily hopping about on the ground, occasionally finding a bug to nip at. Ylia had to smile when she saw how delighted he was. Yet she could not feel the same.

When she had returned to her home last night, she had asked Wolf about the War. But he was in no mood to answer. Instead, he was carefully working in his workshop. Ylia was ignored. And yet, outside, there was great joy. The inhabitants of Muzai were getting ready for something.

_Ylia stepped outside her house to watch as her kin decorated and fluttered about with joy, a joy she knew nothing of at the moment. Dodging all of the excitement, she moved to one of the houses close to the veil, or the entrance to the village. The front entrance either. Even the elder lady there was humming happily as she knitted._

"_Ylia!" she called to the young girl in Elvish. The woman's name was Ireth Inglorion. Or in the Human language, Miranda Lotto. Ylia hadn't quite understood the Human Language versus Elvish on a name-sake._

"_Yes?" Ylia replied, comfortable to be speaking her native language again._

"_It's great to see you," the older lady smiled._

"_As it is to see you. Though I must ask, why the celebration?" Ylia had not achieved any message of this, and her Father hadn't told her._

"_You don't know? My, child, it's a great success! You know of General Akira, correct?" Ireth asked._

_Ylia nodded. She hadn't see the General in a long time, but she remembered when she was a child and he would visit their house. He would always pick Ylia up and spin her around, even when she had reached the age of twelve. But that was when he had left for war. _

"_He is being honored as a hero, my child. The news has come that he has disposed of one of the Human's most valued Leaders. Happy day this is!" Ireth exclaimed._

_My child. Ireth had always called Ylia that. But as far as Ylia was concerned, it was more of a pet name than actual truth. And that was the truth. It always made Ylia ask about her mother. But Wolf shied away from that question, each and every time she asked it._

"_Indeed, it must be," Ylia replied. "Though, will General Akira return to the village?"_

_Ireth shook her head, "Alas, he shall not. The villagers wish to celebrate regardless," she smiled, "Let them enjoy their time. I fear happiness shan't stay with us for long. Nor the Humans."_

"_Why's that?" Ylia asked._

"_Call it a hunch, my child," Ireth said, returning to her knitting. That was when Ylia returned home, and straight to bed she went._

And yet, Ylia still had questions she wanted to ask. Who could she ask though? She had wanted to confide in Kanda, but he was not here at the moment. Ylia sighed, placing her hand out for Tathar to land on. He had returned from his flight with a berry. Tathar lovingly placed it in Ylia's hand before settling down beside it. He waited.

Ylia giggled and took the berry between the fingers of her other hand. She held the morsel out for the dove, who nibbled at it. He continued this until the berry was gone, or gone enough that Tathar no longer felt like eating. With a gentle stroke to the bird's back, Ylia placed him on her shoulder.

"_Strange, yes? The midday sun hangs high in the sky, yet our warrior has yet to appear,"_ she giggled at the disapproving look Tathar gave her. It was most likely directed at "our."

Tathar gave her a nudge before letting out a tiny squeak. He then settled nicely against her neck. Ylia smiled, wishing him an Elvish good sleep.

It wasn't long after that that Ylia heard footsteps, crunching along the grass. She lifted her head up to see who was approaching. Totally forgetting about Tathar, Ylia jumped up, too excited for her own good. She nearly tripped on her dress as she ran out to the fields, but she didn't fall. No, strong arms belonging to Kanda made sure of that.

"Whoa there," he said, a stern look of concern on his face.

"Sorry," she said, standing straight up again. "I didn't mean to trip," she giggled. Tathar angrily flew back over and landed on her shoulder.

Kanda nodded.

"Are you alright?" Ylia asked, noticing he strange aura surrounding Kanda.

Kanda shrugged, "I'm running out of time," he sat into the ground, "to decide. And everyone wants me to join… I guess I just can't decide. And then everyone at the village is going crazy because one of our Generals was killed. And the Elder who announced it, he looked right at me. He _wants_ me to go kill the Elf who did it…"

"Oh…" Ylia had sat down. "But that is not fair. You should decide and they should not pressure you."

"That would be fair. But life isn't fair," Kanda sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Uhm…" Ylia bit her bottom lip.

Kanda looked at her.

"I guess…do what's best," Ylia sighed. She wasn't ready to tell them that they'd be enemies if he joined.

Kanda nodded, "I know." He looked at Ylia. And he couldn't help but smile and reach out to touch her face softly, letting his hand rest against her cheek. While it shocked her, she allowed him to.

"I guess…I just wanted your opinion…" he trailed off.

"Ylia," Ylia reminded.

He nodded, "I just wanted your opinion, Ylia."

She smiled, letting her hand rest over his, "I should not give you one. For it is not my place…"

Kanda's allowed his hand to drop, but not far, for Ylia still held tight to it, "That's noble of you."

She shrugged and giggled, "If you did join, it would be far more frowned upon for us to meet, you know."

"I'm aware. Stupid rules. I've been to your village, your kind don't seem that harmful."

"I wish I could say the same…" Ylia sighed, looking down. Kanda's hand was calloused and rough from years of being trained to hold a weapon. It was not hard for Ylia to imagine Kanda as a child with a wooden sword in his hands. And yet, his touch was gentle. Strange for Ylia to feel as though her baby soft hand belonged where it was. In the gentle touch of rough fingers.

Kanda scoffed though, "Yeah, but now, you know, Humans are made to join the war. So, I understand why you feel like that."

She giggled, "Really? It's not too different from the Elves, but we can choose."

"Oh really? Well as long as a pretty girl like you doesn't go off and join, I'll be ok."

She smiled, letting silence fall between them. It wasn't a strange silence, but rather the kind that allowed them to just look at one another and take in the peace of the fields, the flower filled fields.

After the moment of silence passed, Ylia cleared her throat to break the silence.

"I have to be going," she informed. "I promised to be home by a certain time, and I will be barely making it as it is."

Kanda nodded and stood, helping the girl up, "Have a nice journey home then, Ylia."

She smiled and began to walk away. But she suddenly stopped and turned, "Please forgive me, but what is your name? In the Human language, I do not know. But I know it in the Elven language."

"Kanda," he informed, "K-a-n-d-a."

She nodded and waved, turning on her bare heel and letting her dress fly in the slight breeze. It wasn't long before her and that glaring dove were back in the forest.

When the morrow turned up, Kanda found himself back in the fields around the stroke of noon. He found Ylia asleep, leaning against a tree. Tathar was lying in her hands which were delicately placed in her lap. He was asleep also. Kanda chuckled, walking over to the sleeping girl and, without hesitation, scooped her up into his arms. Ylia seemed not to notice, she didn't move, save the small motion of her head falling against this shoulder. But Tathar noticed. And hell could that little bird squawk.

That's what woke Ylia up, and she jumped slightly, but settled back down when she saw Kanda. In fact, she let her eyes close. Tathar finally shut up when he realized Ylia didn't care. Kanda sat down in the grass, setting Ylia down too. She smiled, rubbing her eye slightly. That was when Tathar flew off, perhaps to find some berries, or to just leave them alone.

"Good afternoon, Ylia," Kanda said.

"Good afternoon…K-kan…umm…" she dropped her head to hide her face.

Kanda sighed, putting his hand on her shoulder, "You'll get there. Don't hide from me."

She smiled and slightly looked up, "You do not mind?"

He shook his head, "It's just a name. You can keep trying and you'll get it."

"You think so?!" she practically beamed.

Kanda nodded, "I believe in you, I really do."

Ylia flung herself at him, embracing him as tightly as she could, "K-Kand…y don't ever go to fight. I want you to stay here…with me."

It took a minute for everything to sink in, especially the mispronunciation of his name, but he hugged her anyway. Briefly, he wanted to say he would stay with her forever, but that would've been irresponsible of him. But as long as he could, he'd stay right there and hold her. Not even the slightest noise would cause him to let her go.

Hours seemed like minutes, but it was soon evening and the two had to part. Kanda felt happy for the first time in his life, as he waved to the Elf girl. He'd spent an entire afternoon with the girl in his arms, talking with her about everything under the sun. There was the strangest urge to sing, to dance, to skip. But Kanda was an 18 year old man now, he wasn't about to be caught doing anything like that. Instead, he chose to trot back to the village with a smile on his face. A very true smile.

"Aww, Yu's smilin'!" Lavi shouted when Kanda entered the village.

"So what?" he snapped, immediately dropping the smile.

Lavi laughed, "Tha'means yer happy! And Yu is neva'happy. Nuh-uh."

"Your point?" Lavi, at this point, had latched around Kanda and the two were walking through the dark village.

"W'll," Lavi started, pursing his lips, "it's weird, I'guess. Neva'seen ya smile. Wh'ya so happy?"

"None of your business," Kanda snapped.

"Hm…s'it a girl? Bet itsa girl," Lavi chuckled, letting go of Kanda. "Welp, I'll see ya lata," he waved and ran off.

Kanda just stood there, slightly dumbfounded. But turned in the opposite direction to go to his house nonetheless. Lavi was just too weird for him sometimes. Though it was strange that Lavi knew it was a girl… Maybe he was just guessing. Kanda shrugged and climbed the stairs for bed.

However, when he got to the top, he wasn't greeted with a dark empty room. A candle was lit, and his father was sitting at the desk. He wasn't working, he wasn't half asleep, no, he was sitting there watching the stairs, waiting for Kanda.

"Kanda," his father said, "sit."

Kanda knew better than to fight with his father when that tone came up, so he did as he was instructed, he sat on his bed. There was a moment of silence, causing Kanda to fidget uncomfortably under his father's gaze. It was everything Kanda could do not to look the man in the eye. He felt like he'd just shatter from the glare.

"Kanda," the man started, "what have you been doing these past few days?"

"I've been out at the fields, uh, thinking. I've been, training some too," Kanda said, hoping his father bought it. This was the first time he'd wished to have his happy, coddling, babying father back. Like how he'd been when Kanda was young.

When his father had retired from the Efforts, Kanda had just turned three. And he was no longer General Froi Tiedoll Kanda. No, he was just a dad. A loving happy-go-lucky dad. That was back when Kanda felt fine calling him "daddy" and "dad." But now, if Kanda didn't say "Sir" he felt like he was doing something wrong.

"Do not _lie_ to me," the formal general crossed his arms.

"I'm not," Kanda retorted, in which he immediately regretted using such a tone.

"I said _do not LIE _to me!" the man screamed, standing up as he did so. Kanda felt like he shrunk after that, but he wouldn't show it. He just stayed quiet.

"I know what you've been up to, _son._ Someone _saw_ you out at those fields with that girl! And so help me if you're stupid enough to _not_ know what she is!"

"I know what she is," Kanda muttered.

"Then _why in god's name_ are you with her!? Frankly, Yu, I'm disgusted with you. You know better than that."

Kanda didn't say a word, didn't move, and didn't blink. He just waited for his father to make a final huff and leave. Then, he fell to the side and went to sleep.

When Kanda woke up, he awoke to a loud commotion, things breaking, people yelling, boots stomping. And sobbing even. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't changed out of his clothes from the night before, his boots were still on. After a moment to wake up, he stood and moved towards the stairs. But he didn't move, he just listened.

"His time is up! Where is he!?" he heard a man scream.

Then he heard his mother. Same old same old mother, she wouldn't tell them, wouldn't let them pass any father into the house. And she was sobbing. But as he listened, he didn't hear a word, a grunt, anything from his father. Not a word. If Kanda still had any faith left in the man, it vanished right there at the thought that he was letting this happen, especially to his mother.

Kanda then stomped down the stairs, just in time to watch one of the "royal", for lack of a better word, guards slap his mother right across the cheek. And where was his father? Good question. But Kanda didn't care; he marched right over there, pushed the woman behind him and landed one good punch to the perpetrator's face. Everyone in the room heard his nose crack.

"What the _fuck_ do you low lives want? Didn't you _mothers_ ever tell you it's rude to hit a lady?" Kanda sneered, cracking his knuckles.

"Yu Kanda, by order of the High Elder, you are to come with us to receive punishment. You have been spotted with a female of the Elf race. This is considered treason," one of the other guards said.

"Kanda…" his mother said.

Kanda shook his head, "You think you can drag me off, think again." He immediately took a defensive stance.

It still didn't take long for the guards to apprehend Kanda. Of course, they had swords and armor. Kanda had the shirt on his back, and even that was beginning to rip away after he'd just barely escape the blade of a sword, twice. But his arms being bent behind his back and something tied tight around his eyes and mouth didn't stop him from fighting back and struggling to get free.

"Kanda!" his mother shouted, still not being able to do a thing to free him. Or to even help him. And where was his father? Good question.

It wasn't long before the guards were able to finally drag Kanda from his house and out onto the street. But they didn't dare let him go, the minute they did, he'd run. While he couldn't see and his arms were now tied, he knew his way around this town better than anyone. And people knew him and would help him. Thus the gasps and the whispers that erupted from the crowd as they saw Kanda, the one and only Yu Kanda, the greatest warrior in the village, better than even some of the elite guards, being dragged through the village in a torn shirt and a slight bed head.

But when a certain red-head caught sight of Kanda from a tree, he quickly scrambled to replace all of his attributes, eye-patch and headband, before jumping from the tree. Being the stealth master he was, he took up refuge in the crowd as he weaved and curved through, following the guards without anyone actually seeing him. He was going to find out what was happening to Kanda if it was the last thing he did.

When they had cleared the streets, Kanda was in an entirely different place. Or it didn't look like it belonged in the run-down village. This was where the Elders lived. This was where all the esteemed people would be, but only for a while. No one stayed here long but the Elders and their guards.

Nothing changed though, Kanda was still pushed and pulled and yanked into walking forward. This continued as they walked through the small area, and finally stopped when the gag was ripped from Kanda's mouth and he was pushed to the floor.

"We have brought him to you," the guard said, most likely talking to one of the Elders. Kanda still couldn't see, but he could hear perfectly well.

"Yu Kanda. This would be the perfect excuse to send our greatest warrior into the Efforts," The Elder said.

"Will that be his sentence then?" Another guard asked.

The Elder nodded, "He'll serve until the Efforts end or until he dies, whichever approaches first."

The guard nodded.

"Immediately," The Elder said, signaling for Kanda to be sent off just like that, immediately. Kanda was yanked off the ground.

"You're all IDIOTS!" Kanda shouted, kicking as he was pulled out of the building. "You should be ashamed, you rac—" a hand was clamped over his mouth.

After Kanda had been dragged from the house, his mother dropped to her knees, her dress flooding out, and succumbed to a fit of sobbing. Something that was normally uncharacteristic of her, but not when it concerned her son. Alma Kanda, Karma being her maiden name, had loved her son more than anything ever since that morning. She just knew, when she had her child, it was going to be someone to look up to.

Alma had always been described as beautiful. She had long auburn hair pulled into a pony-tail and covered by a cloth. She had deep loving blue eyes and slightly tanned skin from a life on the farm. Her hands bore thin delicate fingers with a gentle touch and well kempt nails. She always wore a long dress, usually a pale pink, faded from the sun. And it was a shock when humble old Froi Kanda had swept her off her feet.

What seemed like hours passed, but was only about five minutes, before the front door opened. Froi had returned from wherever he had been. Immediately, he rushed to her side, taking ahold of her shoulders.

"Alma?" he asked, shaking her ever so slightly.

She heard him and looked up, at him. He gasped slightly, running his thumb over the forming bruise. But Alma was having nothing of it; she slapped his hand away and stood up.

"Where were you?" she asked. "Where were you when they came here!? Where were you when they took your son away!?" she was sobbing again.

Froi gulped, looking away.

Alma stopped and took a step back. She knew, "No… No, Froi, please, tell me you didn't. Tell me you didn't… Tell me you didn't report him!"

And still, he did not answer.

"No...no, no, no, no, NO! Froi, how could you!" She glided over to him, tears still falling from her face. Her hand immediately connected with his face, reverberating the sound of flesh hitting flesh across the house. "How could you take our son away from me?! How could you!? To your OWN SON!?"

Alma curled her hands into fists and brought them down upon the man's chest over and over again, sobbing and crying all she had out to soak his shirt. But still, he did not stop her. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling the short woman into a hug.

"Where were you?" Alma sobbed, finally resting a moment.

"I'm sorry…" was all he could mutter. And Alma knew. Froi had reported Kanda, yet he still couldn't bear to watch them take the young man away. He regretted yelling at him, he regretted reporting him, but there was nothing he could do now. No matter what he had said, he never wanted Kanda to go to war, because every time he looked at him, he still saw that short pale child who wanted nothing but to make his parents happy.

"When will…when will he come back?" Alma sobbed, clutching Froi's shirt.

"We'll be informed of his sentence tomorrow…" he hugged her even tighter, kissing her head.

And on that very same afternoon had been a promised time of meeting for the warrior and Ylia. That morning she had gotten herself ready to leave right at noon to see Kanda. And when she arrived at the fields, she waited. And she waited. Still, more, she waited. But Kanda didn't show.

It wasn't long after the few hours she'd been out there that Tathar was insistent that they return back to the village. So following the bird's pulling, Ylia pushed herself from the ground and began the trudge back through the forest. And a long trudge it was, for Ylia had all but completely lost her joy and her happiness. She was under the pretense that Kanda had stood her up.

Ylia finally returned home after what seemed like even more hours. It was dark in the village by the time she moved through it, to the center, and into her home. Everything was quiet and dark, the candles weren't lit and it appeared as though everyone had gone to bed already. And yet, it was far from a surprise when Ylia climbed the stairs to see her father, very far from asleep, waiting for her. When he looked up from his place, he instantly was in front of her, holding her tightly.

"_Ylia, my child, where have you been?_" he asked.

Ylia hugged him back, _"Daddy…I've been at the fields all this time. Kanda had promised that he would meet me there today…"_ She trailed off, holding tighter as she buried her face into his chest.

"_Why do I sense great sadness then?"_ Wolf inquired.

"_He was not there, Daddy! He was not there!"_ Ylia let go and fully burst out into sobbing.

Wolf's arms instinctively tightened around the young girl, _"Do not fret, child. Just sleep for the time being. I promise you," _He released her slightly, just to lay his hands against her cheeks, _"I will find out what has happened."_

Ylia nodded and was released from his grasp. She moved around him as he descended the stairs. To bed, she went.

Early the next morning, there was a knock on the wooden door. Being the only one up, Froi went to answer it, slowly and apprehensively. Once open, the boy on the other side was revealed. In his slightly worn tunic and hat, it was easy to tell he was a messenger from the Elders. Yet he spoke no words. The boy handed a folded letter to Froi, with that look in his eye that spoke of sadness and dangers yet to come, and turned to leave.

The door was shut before Froi moved back across the house and into a back room, where Alma still lay sleeping in her nightdress, her hair spread out across the lumpy pillow beneath her, the blanket tucked up around her neck. Her eyes fluttered open, like new butterfly wings on their first flight, as Froi sat upon the bed. After blinking a few times, the woman slowly sat up to see what was going on.

The letter was opened, "As ordered by the High Elders," Froi read, "Yu Kanda, son of Froi and Alma Kanda, has been sentenced appropriately for his crime. His crime falls under _Treason_, as he was in contact with an enemy female. By law, his sentence is deemed appropriate to such a crime. Yu Kanda, son of Froi and Alma Kanda, has been sentenced to…" Froi stopped and gulped, "serve in the Efforts until they end or take his life…"

Alma choked back tears as Froi sighed. This was definitely not the way they had planned for things to go. This was not the way Froi had wanted Kanda to follow in his footsteps. Not the way he was supposed to become a soldier.

With a final grunt, the gag was pulled tight over Kanda's mouth, letting his teeth show and completely scrunching up his hair. His hands had been tied around his back, and his feet remained unchained. But he wouldn't dare run away, he could see the soldiers around him, and he wouldn't dare make a move.

"Sorry about this," the man who had just tied him up mumbled. Kanda let out a muffled complaint when he felt the man's large hands at his waist. He was hoisted up off the ground and onto the horse. Thinking for a moment that this was insanely awkward, he stopped and listened.

"Things don't ever go right, do they?" the man asked. And that was when Kanda suddenly recognized him.

It was Marie. Not that Kanda knew him personally, but he recognized him. He used to live in the village, but one day went off to join the Efforts. But one day, Kanda had heard that Marie was rejected from the actual fighting because of one stupid reason. He just happened to be blind. But that had never stopped Marie. He had always been a great fighter, brave too. But because he was blind, he wasn't allowed to fight, no matter how good his senses were.

Kanda couldn't reply though.

Marie shrugged, "But sometimes things turn out ok. You'll see."

The ride was bumpy and ever so slow. Kanda had no hands at the moment, so the horse had to go so slow, lest risk him falling off. While Marie was a soldier, he was still caring. It hadn't mattered to the Elders, or even the officer Kanda would be under, if he had gotten there beaten and bruised. But that was no way to face a life sentence.

It took almost a day and a half to get to the camp, a large camp indeed. This was his village's camp. And since General Yeegar had been killed, it was now run by a newly promoted general. His name was Cross, from what Marie had told Kanda. And he was ten times as strict and ten times as mean. Kanda could only gulp in response, not being able to talk. Marie had told him time and time again how he wished he could remove the fetters holding Kanda, but that he was not allowed to. Kanda had only sighed and took the sympathy offered.

They had arrived in the camp, and Kanda was unceremoniously handed over after being just about forced from the horse. He was wished a goodbye from Marie before the moved off. Kanda could only guess where the man was going, but didn't have much time to linger on the thought. The soldiers were pushing him in the opposite direction, right through the camp to the very middle of it. Kanda could only guess what was there. But judging from the large tent, heavily adorned with patterns, it had to be where the new General was.

Not a minute later was Kanda shoved to the floor, his knees hitting the ground harder than he would've liked. Not that he wanted to be kneeling in front of someone at the moment either. Looking as defiant as humanly possible, Kanda looked up to glare at the General.

General Marian Cross. A man from an actual city, not that Kanda knew what a city really was. He had long red hair pulled into a low pony-tail, a smoke hanging from his mouth, and clad in a uniform. His large arms were crossed over his chest, his chin pointed up and his eyebrows pointed down.

"So this is the famous Yu Kanda," his gloved hand removed the white stick from his mouth, and he smirked. Kanda highly doubted he was famous. "Ever since we received word of you're coming here, the whole _camp_ has been in some sort of frenzy," Cross chuckled, highly sarcastic. "And here, at my feet, is a child who's yet to learn respect for his superiors." That same gloved hand flew across Kanda's face.

The defiant _child_ felt his teeth dig into the inside of his cheek, the sting of the fabric around his mouth as it was forced to move with the slap, and most defiantly the stab as his pride. Or what was left of it anyway.

"Listen up, boy," Cross spat, literally, "you're under my reign down. Your parents can't do anything, and I won't respect that you're that old General's son. The Elders said I can do whatever I please with you. And you're fighting in this war, starting tomorrow," his smirk was cruel and heartless. "I'll be dammed if you make it through the month."

With a point to Kanda, then another soldier, Cross's voice boomed out one last time, "Get him out of my sight, I have more important things to _do_ this evening them babysit him!"

"Yes, Sir!" a soldier, obviously frightened by the whole mess, came over and yanked Kanda off the floor before leading him out of the tent.

Kanda could only sigh from behind the gag. He knew he'd been in for a rough time, but he didn't know how rough. How he wished he could see Ylia again, and make sure she wasn't blaming herself of all things.

Just a few meters from Cross's tent was another tend, this one much smaller. That's exactly where Kanda was thrown. And literally thrown, the soldier didn't even walk into the tent. However, from the grace of whatever gods there were, someone else was in the tent who didn't think twice about helping him off the ground and onto a cot.

The next thing Kanda knew, a bandaged hand had ripped the gag from his mouth and flipped him around to get a better look at the handcuffs. After a few moments of tugging, Kanda was starting to get annoyed and ground out:

"Will you hurry it up already?!" he growled.

"I-I'm sorry, Sir. But they're locked, and I don't have a key…" the Kanda presumed male replied.

Kanda sighed and rest his head against the wall in an attempt to talk himself into beating his head into it.

"Well then do _something_," Kanda bit out, trying not to sound homicidal. Almost three days now with handcuffs on, and he was tired of those metal rings around his wrists. He just wanted them _off_. He didn't care _how_ it happened.

"Well, hold on a second. I can go ask for one," the male replied, taking his leave with no further voice.

Kanda reduced himself to counting the seconds as he watched the opening of the tent. A highly uncomfortable position to be in, but he needed these handcuffs off and waiting for the soldier to come back was the only way to get it done.

"595, 596, 597, 598, 599…600," Kanda sighed and began to beat his head against the wall. Ten minutes later, and the brat still wasn't back.

"746, 747, 74—"

"Sorry for the wait, Sir," the soldier had returned. And when Kanda turned to glare at him in the most menacing way possible, all he saw was a boy. A boy no older than fifteen standing before him with a huge scar on the left side of his face and the same bandages on his left arm, from fingers to shoulder. His hair was white, pure, overly bright, white. And his eyes were gray, gray yet full of life and child-like joy. They reminded him of Ylia. But the thing that stood out most was the huge red hand mark on the right side of his face.

"Cross wouldn't give me the key," he continued as he unlocked each cuff. "And when I repeated the question he slapped me. The nurse felt the need to look it over, even though it's nothing," the boy shrugged.

Once Kanda's hands were freed, he turned around as he rubbed the red marks formed around his wrists, still very tender. This time, when he looked at the boy, he could make out the scars on his body, and through his thin cotton shirt, was another scar. One Kanda would've preferred not seeing, so he said nothing about it.

"What's your name, kid?" Kanda asked as he stood up. He wanted to laugh about the head taller he was than the kid.

"Allen," was all the kid gave before he sat down on his cot. "And yours?"

"Kanda," was all Kanda gave in return.

Allen nodded, "Well it's late, and you should get some sleep. I've heard rumors about you, Mr. Kanda. And they aren't good rumors. I hear Cross wants to ship you off to the battle front tomorrow morning. Or that may just be with wishes of the Elders, but either way. If that's true, you're gonna be tired as hell if you don't get some shut eye."

Kanda raised an eyebrow, "I don't need a sprout like you telling me what to do."

Allen shot him a glare, in which Kanda was obligated to return one. But not long after that they were both fast asleep on their respective cots. It was late, after all.

When noon broke of the next morning, Kanda had already been out of the tent and forced into combat training for seven hours. He'd been woken up at five in the morning to do such a thing. And he was met with the face he didn't want to see. That half masked face of the General. General Cross had risen to meet him. But not just meet him.

Another blow and Kanda flew backward slightly. Will was the only thing keeping his rear from hitting the ground. Cross laughed, slinging his long sword through the air and back into its sheath. He began to walk towards Kanda, who stood there on wobbly legs.

"You're the best those Elders had to offer me? I must say, for that little rundown village of Renkon, you are the best."

Kanda growled.

Cross just chuckled, "That town has never spewed anything great. Want to be the first kid?"

Kanda didn't answer, just crossed his arms.

"Be defiant, if that's what you wish. But by tomorrow, you'll find yourself on the battlefield. And if you're defiant there, you're dead. And when they bring your dead body back here, I'll have no qualms about showing your dear daddy, who sent you off here in the first place."

"Wait...what?" Kanda said, confused.

"You mean you don't know? You don't know who reported your _time_ with that elf girl, do you?"

Kanda shook his head.

"None other than your dear daddy, _Yu_," Cross laughed, slapping his hand against Kanda's shoulder to finally break his leg's wobbly hold before leaving.

And it seemed like the seconds didn't matter anymore, nor them minutes, nor the hopes and dreams of leaving the god-awful camp. All that mattered was that line. _None other than your dear daddy, Yu._

Kanda wanted to be angry, he wanted to scream, wanted to go take his anger out on _something! _But he couldn't. He couldn't think of anything to hurt. All he could think about is one stupid day. One. Stupid. Day.

"_Yu, Yu!" Alma called up to him. Not ten seconds later did the small boy come bounding down the stairs and right up into his mother's arms. At the moment, he was six, and oh so very happy. And there was no place he'd rather be then held up high in his mother's arms which held tightly to prevent him from falling. He was getting older of course._

"_What, what?" He laughed, mimicking Alma's double calling of his name. A time when he still went by Yu._

"_Guess what's happening today?" she asked, a huge smile on her face as she glided across the wooden floor._

"_Uh…" Yu went blank._

_Alma giggled, "Your daddy's coming home today!"_

"_YAY!" Yu shouted, throwing his arms around Alma's neck to rest his head on her shoulder. Alma's smile grew bigger as she patted his back._

"_It's been a while since you've seen him, yeah?" she asked, setting the small boy at the table._

_Yu nodded._

_Alma sighed, "Five and a half years. I bet you don't even remember him…"_

_Yu didn't respond._

"_But I do, and that's why I tell you about him."_

_Later that day, the door opening surprised them both. And when Alma turned to make sure to protect her baby from any intruder, she immediately smiled huge and ran at the ledged intruder. Her arms flew up and around the man, hugging tightly to him. Slowly but surely, the hug was returned._

"_I'm home, Alma…" he whispered with not a smile on his face, but a frown almost._

"_Froi, what's wrong?" she asked, immediately sensing something._

"_I have to go back. They've let me return for the month to see my son turn seven," he sighed, "but by July, I must return to the battle front. They aren't ready for me to leave yet."_

_Alma nodded and moved away from him and back to Yu. As he requested, Alma lifted him up into the air and held him tightly._

_By the time night came, even Yu was aware that something wasn't right. Something in Froi had changed. He wasn't as happy as Alma remembered him. And from what Yu could remember, this wasn't even his daddy anymore. And he was afraid to see him._

_After Froi left the night before July began, he was able to return home more often. And from there, things got better. But he wasn't the same, Alma always said. The war changed him, made him hate something._

But Kanda couldn't remember. He sighed and stood from the ground. Something in his chest stirred, and it made him want to hate, to kill. And he clenched his fists at it before walking from the training grounds. If he was going to make it in this camp, in this war, _The Efforts_, he'd have to get serious about it, no matter how much he l-l-lo

Wanted to see Ylia.

Once back at the camp, Kanda marched right through it and to that overly ornate tent in the middle. He wasted no time barging through the front of it, shocking the hell out of everyone in the tent already. The long sword at his side was removed and thrown onto the table.

"What are you doing, boy?" Cross asked, standing from his seat and eyeing him.

"I don't need your crappy swords, _Sir._" He smirked.

Cross raised an eyebrow.

"I don't use _long swords_. I prefer my Katana, if you don't mind."

"If it's in Renkon, I do mind," Cross folded his arms.

"It's not. Rather, it's with all my stuff that that soldier, Marie, has," Kanda slammed his hands on the table. "I guarantee, with that, I can do much better than that shitty sword you provided me with."

Cross chuckled with a smirk, "Fine then. You," he pointed to a soldier, "retrieve this soldier for me, the one that brought Kanda to my camp in the first place."

The soldier didn't even nod before retreating from the tent.

Not ten minutes later, almost exactly the 600 seconds ten minutes is composed of, Marie walked through the tent's opening with something wrapped in wool. He held it out to Kanda, who in turn, took it. Without a word, he stormed from the tent with the object now strapped to his back.

Kanda soon found himself back at his own tent. The sprout already there, sitting on his cot, sharpening his sword. When Kanda entered, Allen looked up and gave a short smile before returning to his work.

"You're awfully quiet today," Kanda said with a smirk, just to be annoying.

Allen shrugged, "Busy."

Kanda sat on his cot before removing the object from his back. Setting in his lap like some prized jewel, he carefully peeled the fabric away from it. If angels existed, there'd be a choir of them behind him as he unsheathed the sword.

"Nice sword," Allen commented, ruining the choir. "Where'd you get it?"

And only that question forced Kanda to remember where he'd gotten the sword.

"_Hey, Yu!" that annoying voice rang out, disturbing Kanda from his nap. When he opened his eyes, he just about had a heart attack. That red-head annoyance was standing right in front of him._

"_What on earth do you want, baka?" he asked._

_Lavi laughed and plopped onto the ground, "You're, what was it, sixteen today?"_

_Kanda nodded, crossing his arms._

"_Man, time flies, yeah?"_

"…_.Sure. What do you want, rabbit?" Kanda spat._

"_Well, seeing as how I'm a pretty awesome friend, figured I'd get you something! It's like, super-duper late," he laughed._

"_What does that mean?"_

"_Well I wanted to give it to you like six years ago, but that's when it was started. So ta-da," Lavi said, reaching behind him and holding out a long object. "Six years of blood, sweat, and tears wrapped up for your birthday. Hope you like it."_

_Kanda scoffed, but took the object anyway. Once the fabric concealing it was removed, all he was left with was a sword. A katana to be exact. When he pulled the sword from its sheath, all he could do was stare at it in awe._

"_Wow—"_

"_N'need ta thank me! Ya might need it." Great, the slurring was back. "'Sides, it's made of the bes'material out there. Thank me when it sav's ya life!" He hopped up, waved, and trotted away screaming a "Happy Birthday, YUUUUUUUUUU!"_

_Kanda could only chuckled as he went back to look at the sword._

"It was a birthday present," Kanda said, "from a stupid friend of mine." Friend, it seemed foreign on his tongue.

"That's nice. Me? I don't know when my birthday is," Allen chuckled lightly and went back to sharpening his sword.

"Mhmm…" Kanda mumbled, wrapping the sword back up and placing it on the cot, between him and the wall, before lying down.

Meanwhile, Wolf was doing all he could to find out what happened to Kanda. Until he did, he was sure Ylia wouldn't leave her room. And that wasn't going to work out. So far, the only people he'd asked were people he knew would say nothing. Yet none of them knew anything of the human. Sighing, the village official sat on a bench, rubbing his temples. He knew he'd aged about ten years in these four days. He knew he'd age a couple more decades before this was over.

"_What else is there to do…"_ he muttered to himself in Elvish. Continuing to rub his temples, he thought more and more. There was nothing left to do. There was no one he could ask and no words to ease Ylia's mind.

Wolf stood and stretched slightly. When was the last time he slept fully? Or bathed for that matter. Eyeing the sundial close by, he quickly calculated the amount of time he had. An hour or so before he was supposed to be at the meeting hall. He'd waste that time at the bath hall. Maybe a nice bath would help him get his head straight.

And that's how, five minutes later, he found himself in a private room at the village's bath house. Removing the ornament the held his cape on, the cape swiftly fell with it, perfectly into his arm. Setting it to the side on a table, Wolf took a seat to undo his boots. They were set under the table. Just as perfect, save for the material wasn't stiff and bend over to the side. Next went the numerous belts connected as one. They were the home to a dagger which he'd left at the house. The next thing to come off was his tunic, pulling it over his head he let it rest on the table as well.

His long blonde braid fell lightly upon his bare back, ending at the tip on his lower back. Wolf waited for a moment before moving across the marble floor, the low temperature of it sending chills from his feet to his head, but it mattered not. The water would be warm. He stopped at the edge of the large pool, near the steps leading into it. Slowly pulling the braid over his bare shoulder to fall down over his torso. The tie at the end was pulled out and dropped to the floor. One by one, his lithe fingers pulled apart the braid until it was gone. The now loose hair fell from his hands down past the hem of his pants, ending just below his rear.

With a short sigh, his pants were pulled down over his hips and off his muscular legs to end in a pile on the ground. Stepping out of them and his undergarments as well, he waded into the water, settling himself down on the bench build into the side of the pool. Again, he sighed, and rested his head on the marble, closing his eyes.

Exactly that hour later, Wolf was sitting in a meeting, boring as usual. The problem was it was about the war. The monthly updates from the battlefield. And Wolf, like all the others, was shocked to hear the casualties. And to hear the fact that, they, the Elven race, was losing.

"_We are running out of choices to make,"_ one of the council members said. "_We have lost the man power to win this war."_

"_Then something else has to win it!"_ Another one insisted.

"_Wolf,"_ the first one called.

He looked up, tired written all over his face, _"Yes?"_

"_This is your call, you're position."_

Wolf sighed, _"Give it more time. We do not have the numbers, is what you mean. We have the power, not the numbers. If it comes down to it, we shall have to get dirty in our strategies. But I shan't let those Humans win. If they do, it shall be detrimental to our race."_

The elder of the two agreed, nodding his head. _"I have heard tell that Akira shall be returning to the village soon. I would require you and him, Wolf, to work out a few strategies."_

Wolf nodded.

The meeting adjourned and Wolf was back outside again, overly sure that he was alone.

"_This Human…"_ he muttered with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. _"I'm sure Akira will know his whereabouts. When I know those, I can figure out where to go…" _by now he was traveling down the building's steps and onto the cobble stone street. _"The day I die will be the day I have to tell Ylia he's in the war…"_ Wolf sighed and let his mumbling trail off.

Another day before the next and Wolf was awoken by the sound of knocking. He was in no hurry to get up though. Sitting on the side of his bed, he pulled on a robe and moved to the front door at a snail's pace. Grabbing the door knob, he twisted it slowly before opening the door, briefly wondering if he could cheer Ylia up just enough to braid his hair.

"_You look terrible,"_ the Elven General said with a smile on his face.

Wolf shrugged, _"I guess." _He welcomed the man into his house.

"_Welcome back, Akira,"_ Wolf said before the two embraced like old friends do.

"_Only for a day, but thank you nonetheless, my old friend."_

"_I couldn't ask for a better time for you to show up. Before we go onto the affairs of the War, I would appreciate a moment to speak of my daughter,"_ Wolf inquired.

"_What ails her?"_ Akira asked as the two seated themselves at a table.

"_Akira, tell me, do you remember when we were young?"_

Akira nodded, _"Like it was yesterday. Are you referring to that human you were infatuated with?"_

"_Yes. It would appear Ylia has acquired the same problem. However, I have nothing against it. The problem remains that this young man has vanished. Thus, Ylia refuses to depart her room for she believes he has abandoned her."_

Akira nodded, _"And what do you need from me?"_

"_I need to ask if you know this young man's whereabouts."_

"_What does he look like?"_

Wolf spent a few minutes recalling everything he remembered of Kanda, down to that defiant look in his eye and the determination in his chin. When he was finished, it was Akira's turn to retrace his memory. And everything fell silent, even Akira's drumming fingers stopped.

"_Akira?"_ Wolf asked.

Akira shook his head, _"Where is Ylia?"_

"_Upstairs. She won't come down. I was hoping you could talk to her for me…"_

Akira nodded, _"You never were the fatherly type. But somehow, I think you should be the one to tell her the bad news."_

"_Bad…?"_ Wolf cocked an eyebrow, worry growing on his features.

Akira nodded, _"I'm sorry, Wolf. But I recall almost perfectly. On my way back from the battle front, I had to take a detour near the Human camp where those form the nearby Human Village go. I saw this young man you described. Training with a young boy in fact."_

Wolf sighed, resting his head against the table, _"I know she'll be happy to see you. I'll tell her later. Right now, I can't bear to see her like this any longer."_

Akira nodded, _"I shall go see her then, my friend."_

Wolf made no reply.

The General sighed and stood, turning on his heel before walking to the stairs, his long blue robe like clothing flying behind him as he did so. Once up the stairs, he cleared his throat to make himself known to the girl lying on the bed.

She looked one second, and the next second was running towards him, and the next was jumping up at him, her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, hugging him as tightly as she could. Trying not to fall backwards, Akira clasped his hands under her thighs to hold her up.

"_Uncle Akira!"_ Ylia giggled, hugging tightly to him.

"_Don't you think you are slightly too old for this, Ylia?"_ Akira asked, chuckling to himself.

"_Of course not,"_ she smiled.

Akira chuckled at the same time what Wolf finally dragged himself up the stairs. Ylia rested her chin on Akira's shoulder just to look over at her father. He really did look terrible. Tired, worn-out, and he needed to shave.

"_Daddy?_" Ylia jumped down from Akira to walk over to him. _"Oh no, this is my fault isn't it!? I am so sorry! I know I have locked myself up here and I apologize!" _instantly she hugged him, tighter than she thought possible. _"I had no right to do this to you. You must have been worried about me. I apologize…"_

Wolf sighed, hugging her back, _"I am alright, Ylia. I just need some sleep, that's all."_

"_And a razor," _Ylia giggled.

Wolf chuckled, _"That too. And maybe my favorite daughter to give me a hand braiding."_

Ylia nodded, _"Of course."_

"_But, my dear, I have something I need to tell you,"_ Wolf said, taking her by the hand and leading her over to her bed. Ylia sat down while Wolf kneeled in front of her. By this time, Akira had left the room.

"_What is it, Daddy?" _Ylia asked, squeezing his hand tightly.

"_I have confirmed Kanda's whereabouts. Akira told me he spotted Kanda."_

"_Yes, yes?"_

"_Ylia, I am so sorry…"_ Wolf trailed off, closing his eyes as he returned the squeeze.

"_N-no…. you are not telling me…that he has…joined the War…are you?"_ the tears began to well up in her eyes.

Wolf gulped and nodded.

"_N-no… Daddy…"_

"_I am so sorry, Ylia,"_ Wolf said, quickly embracing the young lady. Her head fell to his shoulder as the tears poured from her eyes. Her last chance to see Kanda was gone. Gone right out the window like the wings of a bird.

"_Sometimes…things just don't work out the way you had planned. Maybe you two just were not meant to be with one another. Or maybe this is just a test. Either way, I know you will get through this."_

Ylia nodded, burying her face into the fabric of his cape. At the moment, there was only two things in her world. Herself and this sadness. The loss of Kanda.

"So, I'm curious to know," Allen said as the two clashed swords again before jumping apart.

"Che. What?" Kanda growled, taking his stance again.

"Why are you here?" he smirked. The sword was slipped back into its sheath. "Hand to hand?"

Kanda put his katana away and took a new stance, "Why do you care why I'm here?"

Allen shrugged, "Just curious mostly. You don't seem like the kinda guy to just waltz into a camp," he was the first to move, running and jumping up to do a horizontal kick in the air. Kanda was quicker and ducked, kicking the boy backwards.

"I'm not. So?"

Allen rubbed his chest where he'd been kicked. Shrugging, he stood up and made another move at Kanda. Only to fake him out and knee him in the stomach. Kanda coughed slightly before turning on his heel and landing an elbow to Allen's gut.

"Then why are you here?" Allen asked again, throwing a punch. Kanda blocked it and returned another one.

"I said it's none of your business," Kanda replied, anger flaring in his voice and translating to the punch that sent Allen flying a couple feet back.

Allen chuckled, "Fine then," after standing up and brushing himself off. "Come on, we can go wash up in the river down a couple kilometers."

After the strange look Kanda gave him, Allen's face blanched and he waved his hands furiously.

"F-For dinner! D-don't look at me like that! I mean for dinner! I-I was always taught to wash up be-before dinner!" Allen defended.

"…Alright. Where was it?" Kanda asked.

"Right this way!" Allen ran, feeling overly stupid and embarrassed.

When Kanda caught up, Allen was already kneeling by the running water, a pile of bandages beside him. They were red, a pale red. Kanda walked up and pushed them a little with his foot. That caught Allen's attention.

"AH! B-Bakanda don't touch those!" Allen shouted, slapping his foot away.

Kanda raised an eyebrow, "Why do you wear those? Tell me that and I'll tell you why I'm here."

Allen sighed and motioned for Kanda to kneel beside him, on his left. Kanda did so, only to be faced with the arm always kept under the bandages. It was red, peeling, fleshy, and raw.

"Keep staring all you want," Allen mumbled, "it's not going to change."

"What the fuck is that?" Kanda sputtered.

"My arm," the kid replied as he splashed some water on it, wincing when it stung.

"What happened to it, I mean."

"Burn," Allen said. "When I was little. My house burned down. Well it was burnt down. And that's what didn't heal. Well, most of it anyway."

"Hm?"

"You know why I'm here? Because I go where Cross goes, and it just so happened he wanted to be a General. So I had to follow. I guess he's like my guardian. But that's only because he's like related to my dead aunt's cousin or something. But anyway. He's my guardian because my parents are dead. They were both killed in the fire."

"That sucks."

"It does. I heard your dad's the reason you're here."

"More or less apparently," Kanda sighed, "I met this girl when I went into the forest one day. She was an elven girl, and I met her father too. They were nice, overly nice. In fact, her father had no problem fixing my injuries," Kanda shrugged.

"Yeah right. Elves are supposed to be evil."

"But they're not. I've met them, been inside their village…"

Allen shrugged, "If you say so. So continue."

"And well, I was caught with her. And my father reported me. So here I am, serving my life sentence. I'm to serve in the Efforts until I die or they're over."

Allen gulped, "Th-that's harsh… Just for being with an Elf girl, huh?"

Kanda nodded.

"You know, it's kinda stupid fighting the elves anyway. From what Cross has told me, it's really these things called Half Elves that the soldier's hate. And apparently Elves are the only ones involved in making those."

"Half Elf?" Kanda asked.

"Half Elf, half Human. A half breed of our races. There aren't that many of them, because the war started out between the Humans and the Half Elves. Elves stayed to themselves. But once the Half Elves surrendered, the Elders of the whole Human race decided to eliminate the Elves as well to keep Half Elves from happening.

"Don't let those History books tell you wrong. Humans started this war and we're desperate to end it. And win as well."

"How did it start then?" Kanda asked.

"Cross said it started in Renkon. You're village I presume. The elders at that time were cruel and hated almost everything except their palace. They sent a raid on the Elven village once a year until those Elves fought back. By that time, I guess word was sent to their capitol and the Human's, and there you go, a war."

"Renkon, huh? Such a stupid village," Kanda scoffed, standing up. "Let's go back. I'm done with this sob story. I miss her, the Elven girl. She was my friend, god dammit, there's nothing wrong with those people. We're taught lies and that's what we fight for, lies. This was is going to end. And I'm doing to end it," Kanda stormed off.

Allen nodded, grabbing his bandages.

"You," Kanda said, "drop those."

"Why?"

"They're disgusting. I have some clean ones in my bag. I don't care if anyone sees your arm. If they think it's disgusting then they're missing out."

Allen smiled and dropped the bandages before running after Kanda.

That night, Kanda found himself unable to sleep. His mind never ceased thinking of Ylia. He could only guess if he'd hurt her in any way, and if he did, he'd never forgive himself. All he wanted to do was hold her again, like he had the last day they'd been together. And he smiled again, remembering how she was so upset because she couldn't say his name. He chuckled even, remember how she had said it.

"Kandy…" Kanda muttered to himself, coming to grips with that he didn't mind it.

Never in his life had Kanda wanted to return so much to the fields and see Ylia. But he knew that was pointless. It would take him two days to get there. Sighing, he lay back on his cot and closed his eyes, one arm behind his head while the other rested on his stomach.

"I'll come back to you, Ylia. I promise, I'll come back to you," he whispered.

Bright and early the next day was now how Kanda wanted to get up. But there he was, being pulled from the tent with his bag and sword on his back. The soldier doing the pulling spoke no words, and had hardly waited for Kanda to actually pull some clothes on. But that hadn't mattered. Kanda had to do things at the soldier's pace. So with a messed up shirt and slightly crooked pants, Kanda was walking form the tent with a brief thought that his hair looked terrible. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was where he was going.

"Where are you taking me?" Kanda asked, yanking his wrist from the soldier's grasp.

The soldier grunted in reply.

"You could've at least let me said something to the kid."

Still, the soldier gave no reply and continued walking ahead. Kanda huffed and crossed his arms, following the man in silence.

A few meters later and they arrived at a horse, several even. Kanda was ordered to mount his. Of course, Kanda wasn't anywhere near doing what he was told. If only that would've ended better. After being lifted onto a horse by someone else for the second time, Kanda knew he needed to gain some weight.

"Where are we going?" he growled at another soldier.

"The battle front," he replied. "And I mean the front of the battle by that."

Kanda blanched. Warrior or not, he'd never fought in a war, never fought against that many people. What if he did die? What if—

No, he couldn't think like that. Not now, and not ever, not when he had people to go back to. Sighing, he took hold of the reins on the horse, only to be glared at by another soldier. After showing no signs of running off, he was left to his own devices.

Counting the seconds until they were ready to leave, Kanda reached somewhere passed one thousand. But nothing was moving fast anyway. Not even when the horses started moving. Not that Kanda was all that comfortable riding this horse.

Kanda scoffed to himself. Never did he think he'd miss home, or that old mare especially. Shaking his head, he let everything drown out. The clop of the horses' hooves, the flying by of the grass and the sun on the horizon, the clouds, the soldier's around him. No, there'd be none of that, only Kanda and his breath in his own small world. Until the War ended. Or until he died.

With a sigh, Akira rested his head against his hand. His spare hand twirled a wooden cup full of tea. Wolf and he were assigned the task of coming up with some way to turn the War around. But there was no way, and everyone saw it. But there had to be some way, some obscure angle they hadn't tried yet.

"_My only desire now, my friend, is that anything would work," _Akira commented, his eyes on the ground. _"As you've said, if the Humans prevail we shall no doubt be slaughtered by the millions. And even if not that, they should enslave us. And yet, for no reason."_

Wolf nodded, _"Which is why it is necessary we find a way to prevail instead. To live in harmony again. To live in the time before the Elders of Renkon ruined the peace."_

"_I understand where you come from. You of all have been harshly affected by the raids."_

"_Centuries they lasted, Akira. Because we are peaceful people, whilst the Humans desire only blood to ease their ailments, the war should've never happened. But it did, only because Huma—"_

"_Do not side with them, Wolf. Do not take the side of hatred, when you do, all is lost. Fight not for hatred, anything but hatred. For peace, for her," _Akira pleaded.

Wolf sighed, _"The times we've lost. And yet, still I cannot bring myself to speak of them."_

"_Maybe the time has come that you do. If she knew, if anyone knew. Wolf,"_ Akira stood, _"time and time again I tell you, this time, I beg of you, listen to me. Do not bear the burden alone. This war is not yours, the death is not yours. It is ours, the Elves', the Humans'. Bear the burden with us and them."_

Wolf nodded and stood as well, _"I believe it's that time, Akira. I must take the journey when time permits. No longer can I stand."_

Akira bowed his head, _"Then may the spirits help you, my friend."_ With that, he left the house.

The journey, Wolf sighed. A journey all those troubled take, those in need of closure take. And though Wolf had never wished to make this journey, now, he found himself in need of one. Taking a seat, he thought about the journey. It was to an old tree near the middle of the large forest. It was veiled, like the village, and only those who were in dire need of it could find it. Behind the veil lie a clearing, and just up ahead, a tree. A large tree. The tree was home to the spirit of the forest, the spirit of life. The Tree of Life.

But he could never find it unless he first attempted to deal with his problem, regardless of the troubles of the race and the War. If Wolf didn't at least attempt to grieve for his late wife, the mother of his only child, the only one he'd ever truly loved, he would never find the Tree of Life. He would never get help. And as long as he was in this state, he could never concentrate enough on the War, not to win it at least.

Sighing, Wolf stood. It was time to start with the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life. Break Ylia's heart again, tell her why she didn't have a mother. And stalling was the only thing Wolf could think to do. Taking all the time it could possibly take, he made his way to the stairs after what felt like a century. Another century he was up the stairs and another one before he was sitting on the bed beside Ylia.

"_Daddy?"_ Ylia asked, sensing his feeling of sadness.

"_Ylia, it's time I told you something…"_ his eyes looked to the distance. For what, he did not know.

"_Told me what?"_ Ylia inquired, taking his hand and smiling.

"_I need to tell you about…your mother…"_ he sighed.

_The smiling woman looked up from the child in her arms. Her long brown hair was pulled into a loose pony-tail for the soul purpose of it staying out of her way. It was usually long and flowing, blowing when the wind blew, but never still as it waved and cascaded down her back. Her eyes were deep and smiling, as her bright smile, yet her eyes were calm and soft, ever gentle and caring. Pale skin suited her perfectly, her lithe fingers and well kempt nails, the way her hair sculpted around her circular face._

_Naomi was her name, and so it fitted her well. She was happiness. She was the only happiness Wolf needed, especially after losing a certain someone. And the small newborn in her arms would be just the same, happiness. And her name was Ylia. Wrapped up tight in a cloth, her eyes were barely open as the noises came from her mouth._

"_Wolf," Naomi said, her accent thick in Elvish._

"_Yes?" he replied, turning his eyes to her._

"_She'll be beautiful you know," her smile was bright._

"_Like her mother," Wolf agreed, turning to sit on the bed before being handed the young infant._

"_Don't flatter me," Naomi giggled._

_Wolf smiled, "But it's true. She has your eyes…"_

_Evening of the next set, and Wolf, with his bow in his hand and a quiver on his back, was running through the burning village. He had to get back to the house in time. The raids had come again, and he had to be out there helping. But he heard a scream. A loud scream that pierced though the cries and pleas of all the rest in the village. Naomi._

_Wolf ran, jumping and twisting through and around everything. Every Human he saw, an arrow to the chest. If that didn't kill them, the poison on the tips would. And finally, his boots hit the cobble stone. But he couldn't stop there. A skip and a jump, there he was. He burst through the door, bow loaded, only to see the most horrible sight he'd ever seen._

_Those Humans. Those despicable, blood thirsty, disgusting, unrelenting, terrible, scum of the earth Humans were standing there. One of them was holding Naomi, a sword across her throat and the blood already trickling down. The blue blood._

"_W-Wol—" She bit out before the sword pressed deeper._

"_What do we have here?" the Human holding her replied, in the Human language, smug as ever._

_Wolf gulped and said nothing. His eyes were fixated on Naomi, silently telling her to stay calm._

_The Human chuckled, "You think he understands?" he said before proceeding to speak slowly, like he was speaking to a child._

_Wolf raised his bow and proceeded to speak perfectly in the Human tongue, "I am not below you, scum. Let her go, now. Or I cannot promise your safety."_

_The Human burst into laughter, "You think you scare me, little man!?"_

_One arrow into his comrade. The man died instantly. Wolf aimed for Naomi's captor again._

"_I will not hesitate."_

_Naomi gasped, and Wolf's eyes widened. More blood, more blue stains to her perfect white gown._

"_Nor will I, Elven filth."_

_Wolf didn't move a muscle, not one, he did not even blink._

"_Let her go. If you are a man, you would not harm such a woman as she."_

_The Human cocked an eyebrow and immediately dropped Naomi to the ground. She fell with a thud, her hand automatically flying up to her neck to hold the wound. Her brown hair, along with the dress, spread out over the floor. The house was burning. Ever so slightly, but not enough to cause danger… Yet._

"_You dare question me, Elf?"_

_Wolf stood his ground, throwing the bow to his back and drawing his dagger. The Human man laughed and proceeded to show of the shiny long sword in his hand. Wolf made no response, made no move, only waited. Waited like a warrior hunting its prey._

_The human lunged first. Straight forward in battle, going for a one hit kill. Wolf's mind scoffed as he dodged, slicing precisely along the Human's spine as he stumbled upon missing his target. The man, however, did not back down. He turned swiftly, stabbing forward. But Wolf stepped back, turning into a kick that landed to the man's chest._

_But then, out of the blue, Wolf thought of one thing._

_Ylia._

_He dropped his dagger and turned, ignoring the man and his comrades. But he couldn't get far. Through his arm came the sword before a boot kicked him to the ground._

"_Don't think you can run away on me, Elf," the Human said._

_Wolf said nothing, he only closed his eyes. At that time Naomi looked at him, her free arm reaching for him. He looked at her, seeing the fear in her eyes, the fear, the absolute pure fear. Anger flared inside Wolf, and without hesitation, without struggle, he jumped from the ground, pulling the sword from his own arm, through it. The sword flew through the air to land in the Human's second comrade. Killing him. Then, Wolf turned on the Human. The only one left._

"_You come into my village, into my home, and accuse me of running from you?" he growled, cracking his knuckles. "You should run from me."_

_The Human laughed, for a short while, before an elbow to the stomach, an uppercut to the chin, a knee to the groin. Three seconds and he was on the ground. Wolf stopped a minute. His bow was broken. He cared not, only turning to run to Naomi. Dropping to his knees, he cradled her head in his lap as his gloved hand pressed against her neck to help stop the bleeding._

_God she was still bleeding._

"_Naomi," Wolf breathed, back in Elvish._

_She smiled, her bloodied hand holding his._

"_You are going to make it through, going to be alright…" he said, whispering, trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to comfort her. His free hand ran over her forehead, pushing the bangs around her face out of the way._

"_Wolf…m-my dearest Wolf…" her voice was watery. Her free hand reached up to touch his face ever so softly, to tell him all the words she couldn't say._

"_You will be fine…" he said, smiling as he laid her back down. Ripping his own tunic, he set it around her neck. Running his hands through her hair one last time, he stood to finish his business with the Human._

"_You," he said, the Human language spewing from his tongue._

_The Human only laughed before indulging Wolf in his need to kill, his need to hunt. And in his blind anger, the fight didn't last long. After allowing the Human to get behind him, Wolf paid for it dearly. And how he wished over and over again he would've paid with his life._

_Naomi screamed._

_Naomi screeched._

_Naomi shrieked._

_Wolf turned around as fast as he could. But far too late. Naomi's hand dropped from the arrow, __**his own arrow**__in her chest. And the Human laughed. But not for long. No, Wolf wouldn't let him laugh. A punch the face, the gut, the chest. One final punch and them was on the floor. One good stomp was enough to break his ribs. Another one to puncture any vital organs in his abdominal cavity. Another one to kill him. A arrow to the head for good measure._

_Without caring about anything else in the world, Wolf ran to Naomi, dropping to his knees. Her eyes were dulling._

"_NO!" he shouted, Elvish taking over as he grasped her tight and held her. The arrow had been removed for the soul purpose to make it easier for Wolf to hold her and rock her._

"_No, no, no, no, no, no! Naomi…no…" Wolf went on and on, holding her as tight as he could. His hand trying to stop the bleeding, but to no avail. He knew he couldn't save her. She was gone before he heard her scream. And Wolf knew it._

"_W-Wolf…" Naomi sputtered out, taking ahold of his hand, "please…"_

"_What? Anything, Naomi. Please…" he hadn't wanted to cry, not like this, not sobbing._

"_T-take care…o-of…o-our Y-Ylia… I-I…I-I will a-always…lo…" her hand went limp._

"_What?!" Wolf almost shouted, shaking her. "You'll always what? WHAT? Naomi!" he held her tight, still, close to his body and rocked her, back and forth. Back and forth, back and forth… Back and forth. And Wolf cried._

While the story brought tears to Wolf's eyes, he found himself lying on the bed with Ylia in his arms, she crying more. His hand ran smoothly up and down her back, coaxing her to silence. Or at least that's what he was trying. But it wasn't working. Ylia's hands were gripped tightly into the fabric of his tunic, her head bowed and her knees pulled up. Like she was trying to hide from the world.

Wolf could do nothing but indulge her. Shushing her when her sobs became too loud. But he never once made her stop, never once said a word. All he could do was hold the girl tightly and let a tear or two escape his own eye.

Darkness. Black and darkness. That's all there was. And the clacking of metal. No longer were his arms in front of him, around Ylia, no, they were behind him. Wolf shifted slightly, trying to judge what was going on. He heard voices. Silent voices, voices he knew. Rubbing his hands, or more so, his wrists, he found them chained tightly together. Opening his eyes, still he saw black. A second later he judged a blindfold. It was soft, like silk. But thick, like cotton. Wolf waited. And he waited, listening. Murmurs were all he heard…

Until suddenly, he felt cold fingers against his face, wrapping around the blindfold. A swift motion and it was torn from his face. And still, it was dark, save the single candle burning in this distance. But he recognized where he was.

"_Why am I here?"_ he bit out. The dungeon was no place for anyone of his status.

"_The dungeon,"_ replied a voice he quickly recognized. Phyron. The leader of their village. Being around for such a long time, he agreed to this war. Wolf held him responsible.

"_Wolf,"_ Phyron approached him, shrouded by darkness, _"I have heard tell of a slight problem you have caused."_

Wolf didn't respond. Phyron only got closer. He could feel the heat radiating from the elder Elf. His tattoos almost glowing in the darkness. All that covered him was a cape, brown in color, and his pants. His glare was anything but covered by the deep red bangs across his forehead.

"_You cannot hide the truth. I have received firsthand knowledge of this Human. Kanda is his name,"_ even more so, the glare was evident. Wolf attempted to look just as fierce.

"_You know the penalty for assisting a Human in any way. Banishment and the relinquishment of all your titles."_

The flash of a knife blade came as the small light reflected from the silver elven blade. So perfect and so pure in its making, made to do one and thing and one thing only. That's when Wolf started to squirm.

"_But in your case," _Phyron continued, _"we've made a special effort to not relinquish all from you. Ylia has been taken to The Black Tower."_

"_NO!" _Wolf shouted, immediately struggling against his bonds, trying with whatever strength he still held within him to free himself.

Phyron did not listen, _"Where she will be taught to dislike Humans. As well, if she has any magic potential, it shall be stripped from her."_

"_How could you do that!? She is only a child!" _Wolf shouted, the chair he was seated in moving with him. Only now did he feel the bindings on his feet.

Again, Phyron made no move of caring, of compassion. _"She will remain there until the Humanoid Temptation has expired."_

Humanoid Temptation. Or the fancy term for any Human threatening an Elf to fall in love with them. Any Human that falls in love with an Elf. Any Human that takes an Elf away from its former beliefs. But Ylia never hated humans. Kanda was the first Human Ylia had even heard of.

"_And now, Wolf," _Phyron approached ever so slowly, menacingly. The knife was never more present in Wolf's eyes. Meant for one purpose and one purpose only. _"You are hereby banished from the Elven Village of Muzai, and your title,"_ there was the knife, coming closer centimeters at a time. Until it was right under his left eye. He knows what that knife is for. Carving. Carving skin, Elven skin.

Panic. The knife pressed into his cheek, just above the tattoo.

"_WAIT!" _Wolf shouted. Phyron stopped. _"What if I kill him? If __**I**__ kill Kanda?"_

Apparently that worked. The knife blade was taken from his face, the knife closed, and put away.

"_Then kill him, Wolf. The punishment is not removed; you are banished, until this Human is destroyed."_

Her hands hurt from pounding against the door, the wooden door fully and utterly locked. She found herself sitting on the floor, against a corner of the room, her knees pulled up close to her chest when her arms wrapped around them. The once proud head upon her neck, now hung low and defeated, resting on her knees. Eyes that once held joy, now held nothing. Dull and lifeless, she let them close.

But suddenly, there was a pounding on the door. And then it squeaked. Every person who saw him wished he wasn't that handsome. But god was he far from safety. The sultry look in his eye, the smirk on his lips, every ounce of his being just screamed _evil. _The loose shirt, puffy sleeves and low collar, was tucked into the black pants, which were in turn, tucked into boots. His skin was tanned from time outside, his hair dark and curly. Those eyes were too golden to be normal.

"_A day and all you've done is sit there,"_ he chuckled as his boots clicked across the floor. The stone floor.

Ylia gave no reply.

The man shook his head_, "Such a shame really. If you don't stand,"_ his hand wrapped around her bicep, yanking her off the ground with a harsh pull, _"up! We can't start the fun."_ That smile. That smirk could kill.

Ylia squeaked, _"L-let me go!"_

Tyki only smirked more, ignoring her pleas. She was yanked from the room, harshly.

Ylia's cries finally stopped when she was thrown, just about thrown, into a chair. The metal clasps automatically clipped shut around her wrists, her ankles, and her shoulders. She couldn't move, and her head was held straight. There wasn't a think she could do when she felt a finger run along her chin.

"_Don't worry, my dear, while I shall not stick around for your first __**session**_**, **_I shall return to take you back to your room,"_ Tyki muttered. Only now did Ylia notice how informal his Elvish was.

She didn't have time to ask what he meant before he left the room, the door falling soundlessly back into place as he left. And the room went cold. Uncomfortable became the mood of the air as goose bumps ran up her arms and down her legs. The air thickened and she gulped.

"_So you're Ylia,"_ came a voice after what seemed like ages.

She didn't answer.

"_Call me Wisely," _he hummed, pulling a chair up in front of Ylia's. _"I'll be," _he smirked, _"taking care of you this evening."_

Ylia squirmed as his cold hand reached over and set itself on her forehead. She felt a zap, a sting, and it was gone as quickly as it came. Yet it left a new feeling, and she wanted to scream. The feeling of something _in her head_, slithering around, tapping into whatever it could.

But she'd heard of this place, and what happened here. She was just glad nothing worse had happened. This was the Black Tower. This is where Rejects lived. The Rejects of the Elven race. They called themselves the _Noah_. They had all been banished one way or another. This is where they went. And somehow, the Elven Elders decided to re-instate them as citizens if they punished all Elves who broke the rules.

But Ylia couldn't remember breaking any rules, except meeting Kanda… But no one knew.

Wisely chuckled, _"You don't know why you're here? How amusing…"_

Ylia squirmed again, that whatever it was moving in her head.

"_From what I've heard, your father was caught helping…_" he paused, _"oh yes, a Human. And his punishment was banishment, loss of his titles, and loss of his daughter. You also get some…punishment,"_ Wisely smirked. _"I have been instructed to find any and all magical potential you have and __**strip**__ it from you…"_

Ylia let out a silent scream as something _clicked_ in her head. And suddenly she felt numb, and her head went limp. Everything was spinning, and so were the thoughts going through her head. These thoughts, they were not her own. They couldn't be hers. Hatred, so much hatred! Ylia just wanted to live peacefully. Wolf had always taught her that's what the Elves wanted. But not anymore. Ylia couldn't think, couldn't move.

Before she knew it, she felt normal again, and she heard an Elven curse.

"…_No magical potential at all…" _Wisely muttered, standing from his seat. Only now did Ylia notice the hood and the clock… _"Worthless."_ He spat before leaving.

The sound of swords clashing swords, shields, nothing, and flesh. Cries of soldiers, cries of the Elves. The pounding of boots. And his own heartbeat and panting. Briefly, Kanda remember how he'd gotten there.

"_I don't need your armor," Kanda spat, throwing the body plate from the man's hand. The man huffed._

"_Kanda," Cross said, his arms crossed and smoke rising around him._

"_What?"_

"_You have a goal," he said, standing from his seat. "You must kill the Elven general. The very best of them. He's been found out to be called Akira. You'll know him when you see him. Long silvery hair."_

_Kanda nodded, "Consider it done."_

"_Then do it."_

Kanda huffed, blocking another sword. He used his arm, which should've been bearing a shield, push the elf away. To the ground they fell, and Kanda ran. Ignoring everything around him, he was looking for one thing. And he'd fight his way there. Another Elf and more sword clashing.

He'd lost count of how many Elves he'd left for other soldiers to kill. He wouldn't bear the burden of killing an Elf. Except one.

"_Why are you so prompt on me getting it done though?" Kanda asked as he walked from a tent in the new camp, addressing his new officer. _

"_Because," the man said, "it will shorten your sentence to ten years."_

_Kanda paused. _

"_Good." He finally said._

And there he found himself, running across the battlefield towards that single Elf he was willing to kill. The sooner he was out of this war, the sooner he could find his way back to Ylia. And if that meant killing a general, then so be it.

It was strange, how everything seemed to stop moving when the General turned to block Kanda's blow. Their eyes met and everything just seemed to stop. Kanda saw something strange in the General's eyes. Something around the lines of recognition and concern. But there was no time for that.

Kanda jumped back and readied his Katana. Akira's eyes flashed towards it, familiarity running over his features. But he turned back to Kanda instead of his sword. They were circling each other, swords pointed forward.

"Kanda, that is your name?" Akira asked.

"Why the fuck do you care?" Kanda snapped.

Akira huffed, "T'was a simple question. Seeing as how your eyes say you wish to kill, I'd rather we were on a first name basis."

Kanda didn't reply. Rather, he struck downwards at Akira, only to have his katana blocked and himself pushed back. Stumbling, he fought to regain his footing. But by the time he had gotten it back, Akira was moving away. Kanda chased after him, stopping him with the tip of his katana.

"Don't run from me! You're the only thing standing between me and freedom. Just die easily," Kanda muttered.

Kanda charged, swinging his sword as he too spun. Akira blocked the best he could, backing up. He couldn't kill the boy, much less hurt him. Kanda was already covered in blood. But he could block every single angry blow Kanda delivered. A slash here, a thrust there. Kanda had some skills.

Kanda jumped back and the two began to circle each other again. All around them, the fight waged on, but they were left to their own devices. No one dared come within a meter.

"Why won't you fight back, old man?" Kanda spat.

"I have no reason to," Akira responded.

Kanda just growled as he ran again. Stopping at the very last second to jump into the air, Kanda did so, spinning slightly as he brought down the sword. Akira purposefully missed his free chance to kill Kanda and sliced his arm instead. When he came down, Akira tripped him.

The blue haired boy was just as fast to get back up, turn, and thrust the sword forward. Finally, he succeeded in landing a hit to Akira, not where he wanted to, but a hit nonetheless. Akira stumbled back slightly, stopping. Realization hit him.

Kanda was serious.

Akira sighed, standing up straight. "Fine." Was all he said. He set his mind to "fight and kill" before charging Kanda. Kanda jumped to the side and the two were entangled in clacking swords again.

Another slice to Kanda's arm, and he was beginning to feel a bit disoriented. But there was no way he was going to let Akira stand between him and freedom. He had to die. Kanda growled again, charging and using ever technique he'd ever mastered. But Akira was good. Every attack he made, Akira blocked it without fail, recoiling with his own attack.

Not even Kanda could tell that Akira was holding back. Every move he made looked as though it was made with such hostile intention. But it wasn't. Akira winced every time he hit Kanda. Though he was fine. But then it happened.

Kanda charged again, slashing his sword down through the air. He got Akira's shoulder before yanking up and twisting to the side, digging the sword into his side. Kanda pulled the katana back—

Kanda gasped, slightly coughing and feeling that warm liquid running from his mouth. It was everywhere on him now. Akira let go of his sword, letting it stay where it was. Lodged in Kanda's chest.

Kanda stumbled about, backing up and tripping over his own shoes. His sight was blurry and everything seemed to stop hurting. He started to remember everything that had ever happened to him, every good moment.

He remembered his birthdays. His first meeting with Lavi and how nervous he'd been. Too bad Lavi turned out to be annoying. He remembered when he first got Zeda, how much he loved the little filly and how much he still loved her. He remembered his and his father's first big fight, and how he'd cried. How he hated crying. But most of all, he remembered Ylia. Remembered when he first saw her face and how he knew not to fear her smiling child-like features. He remembered when she had looked at him from the corner of her eye, how she waited for him in the fields, how they met.

Kanda recalled how she smelled, like flowers, how soft her skin was, how beautiful and shining her eyes, the flow of her dress as she ran, the arch in her foot, the gentleness of her fingers, the marking on her cheek. And little Tathar. How Tathar had hated him so.

The warrior finally fell to the ground, hitting it with a thud. Just another casualty among the bodies. He couldn't see anymore, vision blurred over by itself and the blood. His head was spinning.

Akira gripped is sword and pulled it from the soldier. Cursing himself mentally, he remembered the poison on the tip of the sword…

He left to finish the battle. Leaving the warrior there, just another casualty among the bodies.

Meanwhile, Wolf had been wandering the forest. He'd heard rumors of where people had spotted the Tree of Life, but he had no idea where to find it himself. Wolf had been told that it would appear to you when you needed it most, and he was sure this was when he needed it.

After having his daughter taken from him, his titles removed for the time being, as well as banishment until further notice, the only thing Wolf had to lose now was the act of loss itself. He had nothing left, not even the smallest morsel of food. He wasn't allowed back into his home, merely sent off into the woods to wander alone. There was no doubt that he would survive. All Elves could survive on their own.

He had no idea how long he'd been wandering when he started to hear voices. Whispering voices, too quiet and too mushed together to hear what they were saying. But they gave him a strange sense of peace. And he followed it. Though the trees, over the roots, and around all manner of small plants, Wolf continued on faster than before. Soon he found himself running, his boots cracking the twigs and sticks beneath him, and the dead leaves. Following the voices.

Before he knew it, he just about tripped through something. Though something. And landed on grass. Soft grass that was almost unheard of in that forest, covered as it was in twigs and stones. Pushing himself up, his braid falling over his shoulder, he looked around.

He was in a clearing, surrounded by a veil. He could see outside but they outside couldn't see him. Looking forward, Wolf smiled. There it was, behind the small cobble stone circle imbedded in the ground and even a bit father, was this huge tree. It seemed to be glowing almost, a green glow. Pushing himself off the ground, Wolf began to walk ever so slowly to the cobble stone circle. As he walked, he recalled everything he'd ever heard and read about this tree… None of it would help him now. It was up to him and only him.

Finally, he came to stand in the middle of the circle. Breathing in sharply, he took a moment to run over what he wanted to say.

"_Wolf,"_ he suddenly heard. Looking up, the bark on the tree seemed to smile. Why did it sound like Naomi…?

"_Wolf of Muzai. Waiting for you for many days now have I. Tell me your ailments."_

Wolf sighed. _"Speaking in all honesty, I can say I'm not sure. Though…I'm sure it has something to do with the sudden recollection of Naomi…my late wife."_

And so fell silence, nothing but the rustling of the leaves in the breeze. Wolf bit his lip.

"_Wrong, you are,"_ the voice spoke. _"While she may be a factor, her death ailed you long ago. Grieving for her has been something you put off, but you have already. And that is not what ails you. What ails you is your child. And her love for a Human. You worry for them both."_

"_Then what do I do to solve this?"_

"_You will know when the time is right. Until then, Wolf, take the bark of my tree. Fashion a bow and an arrow. Take your bow up again, and when the time is right, use my arrow. Only once will it work, use it wisely."_

The voice stopped, and Wolf was left alone with a task. Sighing, he took the dagger from his belt and moved towards the tree. Whispering an Elven apology, he cut into the bark. Starting from the top of the root, he cut until he reached the ground. And again he did it. Again and again. Until he had five long pieces of the bark. Once that was done, he placed the dagger back in his belt and wordlessly left the clearing.

"_I never thought I'd have to use this…"_ Wolf muttered as he began another journey through the forest. By this, he meant an old hut deep in the depths of the forest. He'd found it once and forever remembered where it was. Here, he would hide in secret and remake his bow and form an arrow. One single arrow from the Tree of Life. He didn't know why he had to, but he would know when the time came. From there, he would take a tree, one single tree, and fashion it into many arrows. Wolf would take up his bow again.

Wolf reached the hut within the day and immediately set to work. Setting all but one sliver of bark aside, Wolf took the other four and got to work. With the hands of a skilled craftsman, he forged the bow. With no sleep for the rest of the day and until the afternoon of the next, with no food, and no water. He forged the bow to perfection. And for the remainder of that day, he forged arrows. One after the other, arrows piled up upon the work table.

The day after that, he practiced. Painting targets upon trees with the dye of berries. He shot at them over and over again, regaining his talent. It came to the point where he was shooting the arrows already in the trees. And then he made more.

Days had passed, and each day Wisely returned to Ylia. Each day she felt that wiggling in her head, and each day he left with the single word of _worthless._ The girl was confused by then. And each day after he left, Tyki would return. It was scary that she was starting to feel comfortable around him, but he didn't try to hurt her. Sure the occasional run of his fingers over her arm, or her cheek. But that was occasional. He did talk to her though. More like at her. Ylia could only guess that he was trying to get her to hate the Humans as well, only with words and not mind tricks.

But Ylia would never respond. Rather, she'd sit in the corner with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head rested on them. The words would just flow in one ear and out the other, so to speak. And Tyki would leave with a slam to the cell door. She knew he was mad. Sighing, Ylia would always take that time to lie down and close her eyes. However, she could only hope and wish for sleep. Most of the time it never came.

But today, the routine was changed. Wisely didn't come in first, Tyki did. He didn't say anything as he yanked Ylia from the bed. He gave her a single look as he dragged her through the hallways. Down the stairs they went, in silence, until they got to the bottom. Ylia was unceremoniously thrown out of the tower.

"_You're Human's been exterminated,"_ Tyki said. He closed the door.

Ylia sat there on the ground, staring at the closed door. She tried as hard as she could, but she felt the tears run down her face. On the right side, she could feel the paint run too. Swallowing hard, she stood up. She was alone now. For all she knew, Wolf was dead too. She turned her back to the tower and began to walk. She'd wander.

How many days passed? Ylia couldn't remember. All she knew was that, for some odd reason, she felt better. The small wounds she'd received at the tower were gone, the bruises were nonexistent. For these days, she'd wandered through the forest. Slowly, she didn't want to take it fast. She didn't have anything to find anymore. Kanda had to be dead, and each time she thought of that, she cried. But she wouldn't stop walking. She had to keep going.

It had to have been at least four days, maybe more, before Ylia stumbled and fell out of the forest. And she didn't land on the green grass of the Human side. It was stained red. She jumped up in fear, gasping as she did so. Her eyes scanned the area, and she just about cried again. As far as she could see, she saw bodies. Dead bodies. Of Elves and humans. But her eyes scanned even more until she saw, about one kilometer away, a familiar one.

Ylia burst into a sprint. Her dress was already ripped short enough she didn't have to worry about it. All she could worry about now was that body. That one single body. Nothing else mattered anymore. Not her own sadness, her own pain, or anything that belonged to her. Just that shock of blue hair in the distance.

The messenger system was fast. A day after Kanda had been stabbed, there was a knock at the door. When Froi opened it, he welcomed the red-head into the house. He wasn't a messenger, far from one, but he was the only one who'd heard about Kanda's death. Even though the Elders knew, they hadn't said a word to his parents.

"What do you need, Lavi?" Alma asked, ushering him to the table and giving him a glass of fresh tea when he sat down.

"Well…" he muttered, moving the cup around with his right hand. The other was cradled in his lap. By then, Alma and Froi had joined him. Lavi noted that they both looked significantly older.

"I've got some bad news…" Lavi said quietly. Like that, Alma started to cry.

"I'm sorry," Lavi bit his lip, "but… Kanda's…he's…d-dead." Lavi dropped is head down.

Alma was reduced to sobbing upon the news her son was dead. She threw herself to Froi, who held her tightly, rubbing her back.

"I mean, we can go find him…when the battle's over. It shouldn't last too much longer," Lavi cleared his throat. "I can go help you too…"

Froi nodded, "That would be nice. Thank you, Lavi. Come to us when you've heard more. For now…"

Lavi nodded, taking a last sip of the tea. He stood, bided them a goodbye, and left.

Those two days or so later, Lavi returned with a solemn face. His head was still dipped, as it always was around anyone. Except Kanda. Really his only friend.

"So it's time…" Froi said, backing away from the sink. "I'll retrieve Alma and we'll leave."

Lavi nodded and waited.

It was much longer before they were leaving the village. It would take them a day to get to the camp, and another hour or two to find the remains of the battle. There was no telling how long it would take to find Kanda. The sooner they got started, the sooner they'd find Kanda.

"Come on, we should rest here," Lavi urged as they reached the camp. The two adults were looking tired, but that was understandable.

Froi nodded, "That's the best idea. We'll set off first thing in the morning."

And that's just what they did the next morning. After they were told where to go, they were forced to go on foot. Not that it mattered, they'd get there one way or another.

"Hey, Mr. Kanda?" Lavi asked.

"Hm?" Froi responded.

"I'hink I'm gonna run up'head. See if I can find him," Lavi suggested.

Froi didn't reply, only nodded.

Ylia dropped to her knees the second she reached him. Her hands flew to the sides of his face, turning his head to look at her. She gasped, half in happiness and half in utter fear. Kanda was alive. And he looked at her with the smallest smile she'd ever seen.

"K-Kanda!" she shouted, reducing herself to sobbing tears as she leaned towards him. He wasn't talking, just mouthing.

"Ylia…" he mouthed, looking distraught that he couldn't speak to her.

"Oh god…Kanda…" Ylia cried, embracing the man. He was beaten, bloodied, and covered in wounds. But she hugged him anyway. Kanda didn't move.

"K-Kanda! Kanda!" she shouted, looking at him. And as if she knew this would help, she bent her head down, and with no hesitation, placed her lips upon his. The weirdest feeling. The entire word stopped spinning, and Ylia just felt the happiest she'd ever felt. Her spine tingling. And the strangest noise.

She didn't know it, but the wounds on his body began to close as she kissed him. But it was no good. She had been too late in the first place. When she pulled back, Kanda was half-way healed. But his eyes were closed and his head limp.

Kanda was dead.

Ylia sat straight up and stared down at him. Confused as she was, she was happy. Having gotten to see Kanda before he died, she knew he'd be happy. Smiling, she brushed his hair off his face. And she stood, letting the tears fall from her eyes.

"_Goodbye…Kanda,"_ Ylia said. She watched him as a few wounds sizzled shut.

She looked up, smiling, and into the distance. Only to have the entire moment ruined when she saw someone walking over the hill. And Ylia froze.

The young man looked at her, immediately picking up into a run. Ylia would've ran, but she was frozen in her place. Oh god, this was the end of her now too, wasn't it?

"You…" the man panted, resting his hands on his knees. Ylia just stared.

The man stood straight up again, "You're tha'girl, the one that Kanda go'sent off to da war fa, yeah?"

"Um…"

"Name's Lavi. Nic'ta meet ya."

"Wait…" Ylia said. "Why are you—?"

"Oops," he said, taking a peak at her ears and then behind him, "Kanda's paren's're comin'. If dey see'ya, yer dead."

She stammered, "W-Why are you h-helping me? Aren't you a—?"

Lavi threw up his hand and shook his head. Briefly, he lifted up his headband. Ylia gasped, but had no time to say anything before Lavi grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into the forest.

"Wait!" Ylia shouted, pulling her hand from Lavi's. "What about Kanda?!"

Lavi sighed, "Listen. You let his parents get him. They need to see him, and if they get him back to the Elders in time, maybe they can save him. You healed him, he might not be dead anymore."

"H-How…"

Again, Lavi sighed, "Come on, let's fine somewhere comfortable to talk."

Ylia nodded and led him through the forest, until they came to a small clearing where two trees had been cut down. They each took a seat on a stump.

"You're an Elf, right?" Lavi asked.

Ylia nodded.

"Most Elves have some form of magical talent, I guess."

"Wait, are you an Elf?" Ylia asked, motioning towards his ears.

"Hm? Oh no, I'm not an Elf," he muttered. "Half, though."

"You're a Half Elf?!" Ylia gasped.

Lavi nodded and pointed to the black eye patch over his right eye, "That's where that came from. Why you can barely see my other eye. Only got one, and that one's got the weird pupil."

"Only have one eye…?"

"Yup. I used to live in the Human City before I moved to Renkon. My grandfather, he's an Elf, took me there. He said I couldn't live in the City anymore. And my eye is why…"

_They were all laughing, hovering over him as he sat on the ground up against a wall. _

"_He's a Halfling!" one of the kid's shouted._

"_Maybe you should teach him a lesson!" another kid shouted to what could only be their leader._

"_Maybe I will," the oldest said, smirking. "Teach that dirty little prick like this that he can't just hang around with us Humans!"_

"_YEAH!" all the kids screamed. _

_Lavi just about whimpered, "N-no! L-leave me alone! I-I'll g-go I s-swear!" his hands came up as a form of protection. His nose and mouth were already bleeding. He was pretty sure his nose was broken. He could only guess what they wanted to do when the oldest popped out a knife._

_The kid knelt down, "You think that'll save you?" he scoffed and grabbed both of Lavi's wrists, shoving them above his head. "Which one goes? The normal one?" the kid chuckled. And the rest screamed for him to do it._

_And so he did._

_Lavi was found about an hour later by his grandfather. He didn't live in the city, rather just outside of it to remain unseen. But when Lavi didn't show back up at the house, he'd have to go and find him. And that's when he found Lavi, half unconscious and missing an eye. His right eye. The eye that looked normal. It wasn't far, just lying on the ground._

_The old man sighed, lifting the young kid into the air to take him home. This was the last straw. Lavi had returned to the house several times now, beaten and bruised. This time, they were leaving. _

"Wow…" Ylia said, folding her arms over one another as a breeze came by.

"Heh, yeah. But hey, whatever. I was better off anyway. My parents both got offed. You know," he ran his index finger over his neck to make a point. Ylia looked down.

"It sucked, ya know? Mom was pretty, like you. She was the Elf, why I came out looking more like one than a Human, ya know. That's how it works," he chuckled dryly.

"My name's Ylia…by the way." She said.

"Hey there, Ylia," he smiled, saluting her.

"Lavi… I need to find my father."

"Your father? Well, yeah, sure, if ya need to…"

She shook her head, "Can you help me…? I have this feeling…that he might be…" she gulped.

"O'course I will!" he shouted, standing up. "Jus'c'mon! Don'cry n'me now!"

Ylia smiled, "It's ok…"

They were told to let Kanda rest. Neither of them understood why, according to them, he was as dead as dead could be. But the Elders had shook their heads and told them to let him rest. But no one knew about the poison. The Elders knew he'd been healed by an Elf, just as he died. It kept him alive. If one let him rest, he would regain consciousness. Now all they had to do was wait.

"_What is the meaning of this?!" _Phyron boomed as Wolf was brought to him. _"I banished you, only to find you back in my village!"_

Wolf didn't raise his head, looking at Phyron from under his bangs,_ "We have a problem, Phyron. And that problem has come to that Ylia has vanished and Kanda was killed!"_

"_Oh really?"_

"_Ask General Akira. He killed him, only to find his body gone not a week after. And Ylia was released from the Tower under __**your**__command, only to vanish off the face of the earth! Your banishment holds no qualms against me now. You promised reinstatement after Kanda was dead and that you would return Ylia to me. Seeing as how we cannot prove Kanda is dead and that you have lost my daughter, by the Elven Law, I am no longer banished!"_

Phyron gave no reply, he only stared. Wolf returned it.

"_Send a search party out to locate Ylia. When she is found, bring her back to the village. Wolf is no longer banished from Muzai. Allow him to return to his home in peace,"_ Phyron decreed before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

The guards let go of Wolf's arms, and he stormed out as well.

The Forest was a large place, covering acres and acres and more acres of land. Each centimeter covered by trees and foliage, vines and twigs, and bushes. It was far from easy to navigate in, unless you knew the way. And even if you knew the way, the difficulty of travelling was high. Thus was the complication of the search party.

The search party consisted of several Elves, all known has what you would call _Elemental Elves._ These Elves were a part of the elements. They were almost at one with nature, being able to feel, or even control, whatever part of nature they chose to study. From anything between fire and trees. And these were the Elves assigned to find Ylia in this vast plain of forest.

This party had a leader, one by the name of Daisya. He was an Earth Elf, capable of manipulating the earth by his own will. While he was known to be irresponsible and overly fun loving, he was known for one thing in particular, what with all his pranks. And that just happened to be finding people. How convenient.

"_We have been stopped for an hour,"_ a Wind Elf commented, sighing as she was seated on a rock.

"_Yeah, yeah, I know,"_ Daisya huffed, crossing his arms. _"This takes __**time, deary**__."_

She blew her bangs from her face, sighing again with her arms crossed over her knees; also crossed.

"_We'll be off soon. She's moving,"_ Daisya said, _"so she's hard to get a lock on. This ground is covered in plants anyway, so if it's just me, it's harder. Hold your horses."_

"_She's right though, soon or not," _A Fire Elf added on, _"we need to get moving. Phyron wanted her back soon, and with him, soon could have meant just the moment ago."_

Daisya paused, taking his foot off of the rock, _"I guess you're right. But I got something anyway, Ylia is north of here, just a small bit to the east. And she's not alone."_

"_I can help us move faster," _The Wind Elf smiled, standing.

Daisya nodded, _"Good, then we're off."_

Having the wind on her side, the Elf stood straight and crossed her arms at the wrist. With only her middle and index fingers of each hand pointing up, she closed her eyes and called upon her element. The wind encircled the group of five, slow at first, then faster, and faster, and faster. Only then, did it carry them through the forest, even though they were running. The wind carried them faster than their feet could.

In order to stay secret, they stopped a few minutes, walking distance, away from Ylia and her companion. However, they were in the perfect spot. They wouldn't have to move, Ylia and the companion would come straight to them. Now all there was left to do was wait. And wait they did.

"—an'so I said to'im—AHH!" Lavi couldn't finish his story as he was the one caught in a beautifully woven net, while Ylia was grabbed.

When Lavi woke up, he was cold and just a little damp. But he hadn't remembered ever feeling _this_ cold. Opening his eyes, he squirmed slightly. His hands were bound, and his head felt bare. It took him a minute to realize he was missing his eyepatch. And his headband. And well, after that, the fact that he didn't have a shirt either didn't exactly matter to him.

The place he was in seemed dreadfully similar to the Human dungeon in the City. He'd been there once, but was quickly let go. And now, he could only hope that that's not where he was. Anywhere but there.

Scrambling up to his feet, using the wall and his own ability, he moved to the bars, stretching to try to see around them. And there, while it didn't calm all the fears he had, it settled the one about the Human City Dungeon. But not any of the others, for there, just to the left of his cell, stood a guard with those long pointy ears.

"Shit…" he muttered.

However, he'd forgotten about an Elf's hearing. The Elf's head shot to his direction, and then he began to walk towards Lavi. He muttered more obscenities in his head.

"So uh wher'm I?" Lavi chuckled nervously.

The Elf raised an eyebrow, "Silence, Half Breed."

"Ouch," Lavi muttered, that nervous smile plastered to his face.

The Elf was not amused. He returned to his post in silence.

Groaning as loud as he possibly could, Lavi dropped back down the floor. Leaning his head against the wall, he closed his good eye as the angle of his head allowed his bangs to fall over the other, empty, eye socket. Little did he know, it had been two days since he was captured in the forest with Ylia. Though, he gave the girl a small thought as he let himself drift back off into happy sleeping land.

Ylia, hadn't been quite as unlucky, but she wasn't returned to her father either. Instead, she was kept within the Council Building. Even her hands were tied. And since the day she had arrived, she'd been questioned. But she was tired, and terribly missing her father. She hadn't answered a single question, instead, opted to allow her head to hang.

But now, two days from then, she was ready to talk. And it was easily seen when Phyron walked in. She sat there in her chair, head held high and determination in her eyes.

"_Are you ready to talk, Ylia?"_ Phyron asked, approaching her with his arms crossed.

"_Rather, I am ready to ask my own questions, __**Sir**__,"_ She hissed the last word, meaning for the poison to come out with it.

Phyron raised an eyebrow, _"Is that so? Then for every question you answer, you may ask one in return. What was your affiliation with the Human your father helped?"_

"_He was my friend,"_ Ylia responded, fidgeting slightly as she lied through her teeth. God forbid she let them know she actually…

"_Where is my companion? Lavi?" _Ylia asked.

"_The dungeon," _Phyron responded, _"where all Half Breads belong. Why did your father help the Human?"_

"_Because he was hurt and in need of medical attention. He was in no condition to harm anyone and was out of the village within less than twenty-four hours."_

"_Is he dead?" _Phyron asked, his hands clamping down on the arms of the chair, his face mere centimeters away from Ylia. His breath was gentle.

"_I don't know. When last I saw of him, he was."_

Phyron glared and stood. With a quick signal, he turned to face Ylia again.

"_When can I go back to my home?" _Ylia asked.

"_Soon."_

"_And my final question… Why are you all such imbeciles?"_ Ylia huffed.

Phyron didn't answer that question; rather, he left with a slam to the door. And Ylia was left alone again.

Later that same day, Ylia was released from her bonds and sent on her not so merry way back to her home. Though the looks she received whilst walking to the house were ones that confused her so. There were scowls, looks of sympathy. Ylia wasn't sure what to think, and by the time she made it home, she was so confused.

She sighed and walked into the house, her hand holding her shaking head. The circlet rested around her forehead had been a gift left for her from her mother, and she held it dearly. Once the door was closed behind her, she looked up. Two pairs of eyes were looking at her, unblinking and unwavering. Two eyes were radiant and piercing blue, matching perfectly, like it was planned, with the long silver hair pulled up tight in a pony-tail. The other pair were blue as well, yet icy and cold, but that didn't steal the happiness from them as Wolf stood from the table to make his way to Ylia. She was quickly embraced tightly.

"_Daddy…" _she returned the hug, digging her fingers into the cloth. She buried her face into his shoulder, holding tightly as if she were afraid this wasn't real. The tears wanted to come, but Ylia wouldn't let them.

"_Ylia, please,"_ Wolf started, pulling apart from the girl but keeping his hands strong on her shoulders, _"join us at the table. Akira wishes to speak with you."_

Ylia nodded and stepped around her father. She smiled and waved at the Elven General before taking her own seat at the table, making sure to sweep her dress along with her.

It was strange to watch the proud general sigh and hang his head, even adverting his gaze from Ylia. This confused her slightly though. When he was always so happy, why now did he choose to be so disheartening?

"_Uncle Akira?" _Ylia asked, folding her hands upon the table.

He sighed, _"Ylia,"_ he finally looked up at her, from the corner of his eye, _"I have always cherished you. Upon finding out of your feelings for the Human, I had made it my mission to make sure you would not have to go through any heartache. But we met on the battlefield…"_ he trailed off, holding his head between his hands.

Ylia gulped, bringing her folded hands up under her chin.

"_We met upon the battlefield and he would not back down from a fight. I tried to leave him, to go and fight someone else. But he would not. He could not. His eyes were full of the need to kill. Therefore, I suspect there was some reward for him behind my death, but… I had to fight him._

Ylia could hold it no longer. As she anticipated what she was going to hear, she began to cry. While the tears fell, Wolf took ahold of her shoulders, steadying her.

"_I apologize from the bottom of the depths of my heart, yet there is no way to undo the transgression I have committed. And I shall understand if you never wish to see me again, while it would hurt me more than I can say. But knowing that I am the cause of your sadness is worth all the punishment you wish to give. For I, Ylia, am the reason that Kanda is dead. I, Ylia, killed the man you so—"_

His voice was cut short as the brown haired girl latched herself to him, hugging him tightly. Her actions not only shocked Akira himself, but Wolf as well. Neither of the Elven men had expected her to act this way.

"_No…no it's ok,"_ she said_, _smiling, _"because he'll go someplace better, right?"_ she chuckled slightly, only trying to hide the tears as she fell back into her seat.

Akira shook his head, _"Ylia, I will try to atone, I will."_

Silence fell.

The day had been spent in silent tears, though Alma had really cried many times upon having Kanda returned to the house. When he was brought back, he was still in his uniform, bloodied and beaten. There had been no signs of life either, not the slightest move of the body to show breathing. As far as they knew, he was dead. But the Elder that had come as well told them to let the body rest. After the two days, nothing had happened with Kanda. All the body did was lay there in the bed, stone still.

And Alma had cried almost the whole time. If not because she believed Kanda was dead, because they could not burry him if he was dead, rather they had to keep the body in the upstairs room. But according to the Elders, something would happen. But his lifeless body proved otherwise. No breath, no pulse, no reaction to anything.

And each day, Froi would sit up in the room, in silence, and watch his son. His guilt was over-whelming. It was his fault this happened to Kanda. He'd reported him, he wasn't there to stop them from taking him away, and he allowed his son to be taken into the Efforts. That had been the cause of the boy's death, and the same death that would most defiantly take his wife from him too. Alma…

She'd cried and she'd fallen ill. Froi sighed, hanging his head in his hands. Another ten years in just two days. Maybe it was easier this way. Maybe things would—

There was a knock at the door. Froi moved quickly down the stairs, but by the time he made it there, those outside the door had already barged in. It was one of the Elders. Elder Winters, to be exact, and a guard. No salutation was made as the two went right past Froi and back to the stairs. He ran after them.

"What are you doing!?" he almost shouted as he came to the top of the stairs to see Winters's hand on _his_ son.

"Things are progressing slowly. He was too damaged…" Winters mumbled to himself.

"What are you talking about?" Froi slowly made his way across the room, only to be stopped by the guard.

Winters stood straight and cleared his throat, "Froi, we have some things to discuss," he turned to face the man as he spoke. "Is your wife present?"

"Yes, but she's not healthy enough to leave the bed."

Winters nodded, "Then we shall talk," he looked to his guard, "alone. You may take up position outside of the house."

The guard nodded and left.

Once seated that the humble table, after it was cleaned of course, Winters cleared his throat before he began to speak.

"From reports that I have heard, Yu Kanda was killed on the battlefield by an Elven General, the one responsible for the murder of General Yeager. When Kanda was brought back from the battlefield, he was studied before returned to your house. It was discovered that he has been _touched._"

"Touched?" Froi asked.

Winters nodded, "This is a condition far from any sickness. There were signs on his body of what is known as a Healing Elf. Healing Elves are known to be extremely connected to nature, and most aren't born to be that way. Generally, something traumatic happens which allows them to develop the skill. Kanda was touched by one, slightly healed enough to keep him living. But he hasn't woken up yet…"

"Is he going to be alright? Will Kanda wake up?" Froi inquired, allowing the fear and panic to show in his voice.

Winters nodded, "Eventually, he should awaken."

"Why doesn't it look like he's alive?"

"Because, technically he's dead. But something about a Healing Elf will keep a person alive until they're truly alive. At the rate he's going, he should be awake soon."

"I don't understand…" Froi sighed.

Winters didn't reply, he only stood. "When he awakens, you are to contact me immediately."

Froi nodded, not even realizing what he was agreeing too. He just listened to the door slam shut.

Sitting on the bed, Froi handed Alma another tissue, allowing her to wipe her tears. As the night fell, he had told her what was going to happen. But she had just cried. He had sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. When she needed a tissue, he got her one, only to return to the bed.

"My poor baby…" Alma sobbed.

"I'm sorry, Alma…" Froi sighed. He couldn't even bear to look at the woman.

A delicate hand was placed on his back, urging him to turn, and he did. His arms were suddenly full with her, her arms around him.

"Don't be sorry… You did what you thought was," she stopped to sniff slightly, "was right, like a good citizen…"

Froi shook his head, lifting the woman into his lap. "No, I didn't have a right to do that to my own son. My own son…"

The door to their room suddenly creaked.

"_Ylia,"_ Wolf said, closing the door as he walked out onto the small porch.

"_Yes?"_ she asked, turning to see him.

"_Come, the night grows. You must sleep."_

"_But…"_

"_Ylia, it is late. I understand your… No. Ylia, It's time I told you something."_

"_Told me what…?" _

"_Come,"_ he held out his hand for her to take. She took it and allowed herself to be whisked inside the house, her white dress, fresh and new, flowing behind her.

She was seated on her bed, Wolf beside her. Each of them was dressed ever so fittingly in their night clothes. Ylia's being a cotton gown, strings holding together the collar.

"_When you first told me you loved Kanda, and I had to tell you that he was to be your enemy when he fought for the War, I began to think back to when I was young, around your age. I knew a woman, a Human woman. She was beautiful, such an affable attitude and a pleasure to be around. But she was a Human."_

"_So let me guess," _Ylia sighed, crossing her arms as she slouched, _"you did the proper thing and cut all ties with her?"_

Wolf chuckled, placing an arm around Ylia, _"Far from that, Ylia. We met, in a large field close to the outer rim of the forest. We met every night and spoke of schemes to run away from the Villages and the Cities, to a secluded place where no one would care of the races we both bore, and where no one would care about the child we would have. Because it was never about me, nor her. It was about the child."_

"_A child…?" _Ylia asked, gulping just at the thought that if this story had ended happily, she wouldn't be here.

Wolf nodded, _"As you know, any child coming from and Elf and a Human will be a Half Elf. Those are far more hated, and the hatred for them is far greater on the Elven side than the Elf's hate for the Humans. As well, the Humans hate the Half Elves more than they hate the Elves."_

"_Why?"_ Ylia asked, folding her hands. Her gaze drifted off.

"_To both sides, they are impure. If the mother is an Elf, the child will carry more Elven traits, but will still be part Human, never truly either. And if the mother is a Human, the child will have more Human traits, yet will still have Elven in their blood. Both races think themselves higher than the other, and to see a new race born from each one is a disgrace to their greatness. Thus, the Half Elf is hated."_

"_So you're telling me that it's not the races hate that started this War, rather it's the combined hate for a race created from a combined effort?"_ Ylia asked.

Wolf chuckled, _"When you put it that way, it seems rather feebleminded, the War. But regardless, that was why we wanted to leave. We wanted to go someplace and get married, and live happily together."_

"_What was her name? What did she look like?"_

"_She had dark hair and bright eyes. Her skin was tanned. I don't remember her name though; it's been too long…"_ Wolf scoffed at himself.

Ylia smiled, _"That's fine. Continue?"_

"_Oh yes, excuse me. But one night, she stopped showing up at our meeting place. In fact, it was the day before we were going to run away together. So I snuck into her village the next day, only to find a funeral. For her…"_

"_Daddy…"_ Ylia gasped.

He smiled, _"Her house had caught fire from the stove. It burnt down and killed her. I loved her so much, to hear of her death was devastating. That was when I told my parents about what had happened. My father was displeased with me, overly displeased. Mother was overly sympathetic. But no one understood."_

"_Daddy," _Ylia smiled, hugging the man.

He hugged her back, chuckling, _"But you know how this story ends. I met Naomi, your mother, and fell in love all over again. Only this time, I didn't lose her so fast…"_

"_Shh!" _Ylia shushed him, _"Be silent about those things. They don't matter. All that matters is that you're here, and I am here," _she smiled.

Wolf nodded, _"Because you are my world now, Ylia. Do please, go to sleep so you will not be tired."_

"_Yes, of course. But, Daddy?"_ she asked as the man stood from the bed.

"_Yes?"_ he asked, looking at her.

"_What will become of Lavi? He…"_

Wolf nodded, _"Yes, I know what he is, sweetie. I don't know what will happen to him, but I shall speak with Phyron first thing in the morning to learn of his fate."_

Ylia nodded, _"But, Daddy, he's Kanda's friend… He's all I have left of him…"_

The blonde man sighed, _"Sleep, dear. I shall do my best."_

She nodded again and fell to the bed, eyes closing.

Wolf sighed again, descending the stairs. There was no mercy for a _Half Breed._

"_What do you mean you are going to exterminate him!?" _Wolf shouted, slamming his fists into the table as he stood.

Phyron raised an eyebrow, _"Are you questioning me, Wolf? For your first day," _he stood as he spoke, _"of being allowed back into Council, you are not proving yourself."_

"_I do not care. The Elves have always thought they were on the better side of this war, but why can't we prove it? For once, why can we not do things by the book? A Half Elf is in our custody. Letting him go only proves that we're better, instead of just the thoughts impounded into our heads!"_

"_Where do you go of saying things like that? Never have I heard you speak such words, especially against the Elven Council of Muzai. You even believed once that Half Elves were impure, and now we should release it?"_

"_It? That __**it**__ is a __**he**__."_

"_I think you are just going soft Wolf. Your daughter is getting to you, is she not?"_

"_Phyron, this War is centuries old. It is time it ended. It is time the hate ended!"_

Phyron crossed his arms, _"Move the extermination date forward a bit,"_ Phyron ordered. _"For tomorrow morning."_

Wolf cursed.

"Kanda!" Alma almost shrieked, upon seeing him standing there, looking overly tired and overly beat up, but still, he was there.

"M-mother…" he stuttered, stumbling through the doorframe.

Froi flew from the bed just in time to catch Kanda as his stumbling proved more hazardous, for he fell.

"Kanda!" Froi shouted, tears no the brims of his eyelids. They were happy tears.

Kanda didn't respond, at least, not at first. But after a minute, he finally smiled and tried to stand back up. But after failing a couple of times, he opted to allow his father to take him to the bed.

"Oh, Yu…" Alma cried, embracing the young man tightly.

"H-hello, Mother…" he sighed, hugging back.

"My Yu…my Yu…" Alma whispered. "You're alright…"

"I'm fine, Mother…" He pulled back.

"Kanda," Froi said, placing his hand on Kanda's shoulder, "do you remember what happened?"

Kanda didn't reply.

"I know about the Elf girl, Kanda. The Elders said you were touched, healed, by an Elf. You don't need to hide it from me."

Kanda shrugged, "Even if I'm not hiding anything, I still wouldn't tell you," he sneered. "You had me killed," he didn't even hesitate.

The statement had Froi taken aback slightly.

"Now, Yu," Alma said, "don't say such things to your father. He did what he thought was the righ—"

"He sent me to the War! I was _killed!"_ Kanda interrupted, and then sighed. "Sorry."

"No," Froi said, "don't apologize. You're right to be angry with me. Just know that I regret what I did, but you're here now. So it doesn't matter."

Kanda nodded, "What about Lavi?" his question was to steer them to a different topic.

"He disappeared," Froi explained. "He came with us to find your body at the battlefield, but he was gone after he ran ahead. So I don't know what happened to him."

Kanda stopped and thought for a moment. Ylia was there with him before everything went black. And when he woke up, he was here, in his bed. Anywhere between there, Lavi must've been there. But since Ylia was gone… But what was there to say that Ylia wasn't dead either? If she was caught, she would've been killed on spot. Or maybe she got away…

"I'm tired," Kanda announced, stepping off the bed. Froi and Alma nodded and let him go without a word.

The next morning, Kanda awoke himself in a fit of coughing. His now well mother and father were immediately by his side, but the coughing would not stop. After a few drinks of warm tea, the coughing subsided, and he was brought downstairs to the main room. He was seated at the table, where all he could do was lie his head down.

"Kanda, are you feeling alright?" Alma asked, sweeping her dress up to take a seat as well.

Kanda didn't reply with words, instead with a shake of his head. His hand was clutching at his throat.

"Come on, why don't you try eating something?" Alma placed a plate of food in front of him, "I made your favorite…"

Kanda took a look at it, and the hunger pangs were suddenly there. Shaky hands reached for the utensil and the plate. The plate was brought closer and the first bite of food brought to his mouth. He slowly chewed it, like it was the last bite of food he was going to have. Soon there was another bite, and another. Each bite came faster and was chewed just as fast.

"Yu…" Alma sighed.

"Let him eat, Alma. He hasn't eaten for at least a week…" Froi replied, his arm around her shoulders.

She nodded.

However, both of them wished they would've made him eat slower. Not twenty minutes after he finished, Kanda was vomiting everything he'd just eaten right back up. And from there, everything just went downhill. Within the same hour, he came down with a fever, had a terrible headache, trouble breathing.

By the second hour, Elder Winters had finally made his way down to the house, after receiving word Kanda was awake again.

"There is defiantly something wrong with him," Winters concluded.

Kanda had to bite back his tongue in order to hold his response, but the coughing helped too.

"And I believe it would have to do with the Elven General and his method of killing. When General Yeagar was killed, there were traces of poison in his blood. And since he was an elder man, it must've worked faster on him. All those who have been killed by the Elven General have had traces of poison in their blood. Kanda is the only one who has lived…"

"You're telling me, after over a week of being just about dead, my son is poisoned from a battle he had before he was hurt?" Froi asked.

Winters nodded, but he said nothing else. He just left.

As per the rules, Wolf left the house early that day to attend the extermination of just another _vermin_. He'd left Ylia a note on the table before leaving as silently as he could. Nothing did he want more than for her to stay safe, but he knew that she would want to do something the moment she read the note. Sighing, he shoved the thought from his mind and continued to the Council House.

"_I am glad you decided to come, Wolf,"_ Phyron greeted as he walked into the Council Room. Wolf nodded in reply. The room was empty, save the large table in the middle, surrounded with ornate and decorative chairs fashioned carefully from the trunk of a redwood. Phyron and himself were the only ones there.

"_It was the right thing to do,"_ Wolf replied.

Phyron nodded, _"In a few moments, my apprentice will bring up the Half Breed. And as per the rules, the extermination will take place out in the fields, on the Human side."_

_Of course_ Wolf thought_ no blood will be spilt on Elven ground._

Wolf stopped caring about that moment. It didn't faze him with Phyron's apprentice, Samuel, brought in Lavi. Taking a single look at the boy, Wolf wanted to puke, but he didn't show it. Not even the most active imagination could cook up what happened to the boy. His entire body was covered in blood, bruises, scratches. The only cloth he was still allowed were those old and dirty pants, one leg ripped above the knee, while the other was ragged around the cuff. And Wolf could see clearly into the empty eye socket, just as clearly was the left eye, still intact, but bloodshot from lack of sleep. He couldn't even walk straight.

Wolf looked away.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, they had made their way through the forest, the whole group. Lavi had received even more abuse through the forest, as he couldn't walk fast. Each time he fell, each time he stumbled, each time he even as much flinched the wrong way, _Crack, _came the whip. And Wolf cringed each time it happened; how he wished he could do something.

And soon, noon it was, they were in the field. Each of them had been instructed to bring their weapons, because in his current state, Phyron was still worried that Lavi would fight back. Wolf had brought his bow that morning, and he remembered well the feeling he had had when he looked at his quiver of arrows. He emptied it completely and put one in it, a single arrow, the single arrow fashioned from the Tree of Life.

Now, there he stood, near the Outer Rim of the forest, watching Phyron force Lavi down to his beaten knees, staining the perfect green grass and the flowers. Wolf bit his lip and clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms now. He could feel the palms bleed.

"…_the penalty is death,"_ Wolf finally listened to hear Phyron utter these words. Why, when, how had being born of an Elf and a Human become a crime? Especially to the child who had no choice in being born?

Lavi hung his head and made no move to run, made no move to protest. He mumbled something to himself and let his eyes close.

"_Wait!"_ someone screamed, a high voice. Wolf knew that voice too well, and he cursed himself for it.

"_Ylia, no! What are you doing here?!"_ Wolf growled as he caught her from running out. Her voice had brought everyone's attention away from Lavi, and away from the man about to kill him. Even Lavi no longer seemed to care he was to die, seeing Ylia made him smile.

"_I will not sit here and let him be killed! Phryon, he has done nothing wrong! There is no reason, save his race, for you to order such an act!"_ Ylia screeched. She wriggled free of her father's hold and ran, her bare feet crushing the plants beneath her. She stood, headstrong, in front of Lavi, her arms out straight.

"_I won't let you hurt him."_ With her chin out, Ylia stood completely still, determined to protect the red-head.

The man only scowled.

"_Do away with her then as well,"_ Phyron said.

"_You cannot do that!"_ Wolf blurted out, immediately trying to run to Ylia, or even to Phyron to beat the living daylights out of him. But that was why he was grabbed, to hold him back, just in case he _was_ going to choose the latter. A piece of cloth was shoved between his lips, just to get him to stop screaming.

The man shrugged and raised the axe. He'd get paid more, who cared who he was killing?

But that's what he thought before he wasn't getting any money in his future. Falling to the ground with a thud, Ylia shrieked as she was just centimeters away from getting hit with the axe as it fell as well. It didn't hurt her, only landed at her feet by its once wielder. Now dead as he was, sword in his chest.

"_Excuse me, but I believe the younglings have done nothing wrong." _That voice, that dammed voice of a hero. Everyone's head turned to see the one person _no one_ thought would be there.

"_Akira, what is the meaning of this?!"_ Phyron shouted.

"_Killing the innocent it never the way out. They are children, Phryon. Just children. Have you not beaten the boy enough? And what about Ylia? Think of what you've already done to her. There has been enough punishment,"_ by then, he had walked over to the now dead executioner. Pulling his sword from the man's chest, he swiftly flung the blood from the blade before replacing it to its sheath.

"_Someone will die today,"_ Phyron smirked, nodding. Following his head, everyone turned to look.

"Can I go out…?" Kanda asked, his voice raspy.

"Yu, you can't even begin to ask such a question!" Alma said. "You're in no condition to leave the house!"

"Just some fresh air…" Kanda coughed again.

"Let him, Alma. He'll be fine," Froi insisted.

Kanda nodded, "I will be."

Alma sighed, "Alright, alright, just be careful, that's all I ask…"

Kanda nodded and moved from the table, slightly limping as he moved out of the house.

"Why are you letting him do that, Froi?" Alma asked.

"Because, if things don't go right… Alma, he's going to die…"

Alma gasped.

Outside, Kanda didn't even bother to fix up Zeda for their ride. Rather, he jumped up on her, stopped to cough, and dug his heel into her side to make her walk. Whilst the joy of being with his horse again was overwhelming, Kanda couldn't think enough to smile. He just let the old mare walk where she pleased, closing his eyes and leaning forward onto her neck.

He just wanted to go out one last time. Kanda could feel his breath slowing every day, and he could feel the beat of his heart. Every day things got more blurry in his eye sight, and things got more mumbled in his ears. It was like all of his body was shutting down… And he could feel every single part of it. However, now he could only hope that Zeda would take him to the once place he wanted to go. To the fields…

Maybe if he was lucky, Ylia would be there.

But when he heard Zeda's whinny, he pushed off her and blinked, trying to see what was going on. And oh god how terrible his luck seemed to have become…

"_Someone will die today," _Phyron smirked.

As if something had just shocked Kanda, he jerked straight up, jumping off the horse. Taking a slightly defensive stance, he looked around. There was that silver haired Elven General. Wolf, in the custody of what appeared to be two guards, both of them holding his arms and that fabric. More people Kanda didn't recognize, especially the Elf with the long red hair. Staring at him momentarily, Kanda continued on to see Ylia standing in front of… Oh god, was that really Lavi? Kanda couldn't believe it.

"_Let Wolf go,"_ Phyron commanded, moving his fingers. And it was done, as was the fabric ripped from his mouth.

"_Now, now, look what we have here. Is this the Human I have heard so much about?"_ Phyron asked, taking slow and small steps closer. _"The trouble you have caused. And here I thought you were dead. But you are not, thus, Wolf, you have not fulfilled your promise."_ Phyron then turned back to face Wolf.

"What…?" Kanda mumbled to himself.

"_Wolf, if you wish to keep your daughter and remain a part of the Elven Council of Muzai and the Elven Race, you shall take up your bow now and kill this Human."_ Came the order.

And everyone, or at least everyone who knew Kanda, gasped.

Wolf didn't though, rather, he stood straight and drew his bow, the single arrow held tightly in his own hand. Was it the look on his face or his actions that shocked everyone else more? Wolf had been the one to so willingly help Kanda at first, agreed to let Ylia and him meet, and now, here he stood. To everyone around him, Wolf stood there with the look of a killer, a bow and arrow pointed straight at Kanda who was already dying.

"_Daddy, no!"_ Ylia screeched. But she was too late. Wolf's fingers had let go of the thing string, sending the arrow flying through the air with dead accuracy. Zeda reared back as the arrow hit square over Kanda's heart, perfectly. Her cries of sorrow rang out as her master hit the ground. Dead.

"_Daddy, how could you!?" _Ylia shrieked, allowing the tears to flow down her cheeks at their own pace. She ran to Kanda, faster than she'd ever run before. Dropping to her knees beside him, she rolled him into her lap.

Everyone else was just in awe, in shock. To watch such a man kill someone already dying was too much. Even Lavi felt an unfamiliar liquid roll from his good eye.

"_Kanda!"_ Ylia's repeated cries of his name rang out. Her tears sprinkled his unmoving, responding face. His blank eyes just stared back at the weeping girl.

"_No…no, no, no, no…"_ she cried, holding the listless body against her own.

"Kanda…" she said, running her thumb along his cheek. "Sleep well…my love…" blinking, a single tear rolled from her eye. It ran over her cheek bone, following the contours of the skin till it came to the chin and the slight jut of the jaw; there it hung before dropping down to land upon Kanda's face. And there it stayed as Ylia laid him back upon the grass.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she wrenched away immediately from her father. The look in her eye was one of complete betrayal and utter sadness.

"_Ylia, just wait and you'll—" _Wolf started_._

"_NO!" _Ylia shouted as she stood up. She stormed right past him, _"I will not listen to any of you anymore! Each and every one of you is out for your own gain, your own purposes! No one is out to stop the war, to finally come to peace with the Humans! And I will not stand for this. I have grown my whole life,"_ she was on her knees behind Lavi, untying his hands now, _"believing that we, the Elves, knew better, and that we could stop this War. But I know better than that now. Now I see that this War will never stop as long as Humans and Elves do not desire its end…"_ she stood, Lavi's arm around her shoulders to assist in his walking. _"And I do not wish to be a part of that any longer."_

"_Ylia, you don't understand!"_ Wolf urged, careful not to be questionable in his words.

She didn't answer. Rather, she began to walk back into the forest with Lavi.

"_Phyron,"_ Wolf said, turning his attention, _"allow me to take the boy back to his family."_

"_If your desire is death, then so be it,"_ Phyron commented, whilst everyone turned back to go to the village. Wolf walked over to Kanda and, with a grunt, lifted the young man into his arms. With a slight look to Zeda, they were off. But he did not walk towards the village of Renkon. Instead, he moved into the forest.

After about an hour of walking, Wolf had placed Kanda onto Zeda's back to give him an easier time of navigating the forest. He'd take Kanda back to the shack near the Tree of Life, or where he had found it. Here, Kanda would be allowed to rest in peace. Until Wolf's plan came into check. And then, the War would end…

Once Kanda was softly placed in the bed, Wolf left the shack. Taking up his guard outside, he sat near the door. The only thing to do now was wait. And wait he did.

Ylia took Lavi to a clearing just outside the village, since she was not allowed to take him into it. However, the rock just outside would prove just as fine. Setting him there, she sat on the forest floor beside it, sighing and bringing her knees up to her chest. She jumped slightly upon feeling his fingers on her head.

"S'Ylia, right?" he asked, his voice raspy.

"Yes," she replied.

"Thanks," he sighed, a smile on his face. "I feel like shit, but thanks. Better shit than death," he laughed dryly.

"You need some clothes…" she sighed.

"Naw, I'll be fine. My gramps has some extra eye patches for me. And one day, I won't hafta hide m'ears or m'good eye. So s'fine. You've'one 'nough."

"Yeah…?" she looked up at him.

He nodded, his toothy white grin standing out against his honey skin.

She returned a soft smile.

"Kanda was gonna be one lucky guy…" Lavi muttered, pushing himself onto his feet.

"Huh?" Ylia asked, standing as well.

"Any guy'd kill for a girl like you, ears and all," he smiled, his hand on her shoulder. "Don'worry."

Ylia smiled.

"Y'should get to yer village though. I'll meander on back to Renkon, hm?"

"How will you make it through the forest? Especially in your condition?"

"Got good memory, Ylia. See ya lates," he said as he began to walk.

"Invite me to the wedding!" he called back with a huge smile, and he added in a bad rendition of an elderly man's voice: "and I want grandkids, ya hear?!"

Ylia laughed, waving as he turned back around. They went in their separate directions. Ylia had to smile, though she knew Kanda was dead and there wouldn't have been a wedding anyway, just the thought made her heart flutter.

Because, yes, she loved him.

Three days had passed before Kanda opened his eyes for the first time. Before him, he saw the most clear vision of a rotting roof he'd ever seen. He heard the most clear copy of clanging pots to his left, and felt the best he'd ever felt.

"If this is heaven," He muttered, bringing his hands to his eyes, "it sucks."

"It is far from Heaven," Wolf replied, moving to bring Kanda a small meal. Kanda took it as he sat up.

"Where am I then…?"

"A shack in the forest," Wolf answered dully, sitting on a stool.

"Why?"

"You were dying. I shot you with an arrow from the Tree of Life. It killed you, only to give time for it to clear the poison and the effects of it. Then it took its own job to bring you to life again. During that time, I had to bring you here."

"Great," Kanda huffed, munching dryly on the stew.

Wolf sighed, "We must make haste Kanda. Ylia thinks you are dead and despises me for it. If we hurry, there will still be time to fix everything… While I can report nothing of your red-headed friend, I can report to you that Ylia was distraught and has been from the very moment you were taken to War."

Kanda dropped the bowel, "Then why are we still here?!" He shouted, jumping to his feet. "I'll do anything to see her again, to explain everything to her. Why I wasn't there, why I left her! I just…I need to see her again!" Kanda exclaimed.

"Very well," Wolf set his own bowel down. "We shall leave now." With that, he was up and out the door; Kanda ran to keep up.

Neither of them cared about the whispers and gasps that came from the Elves in Muzai. No, by this time, it had turned into a race between the two. Who would get to Ylia first? Kanda hoped and prayed he'd get to see her first, because it was going to be the one and only time he'd run and hug someone, hug them so tight and never let them go. Because he needed her.

Because yes, Kanda could love. And Kanda loved her.

Bursting through the front door, Kanda took about two seconds to take in the whole bottom floor before deciding she was upstairs. But he didn't run fast enough to make it to the stairs before Ylia came down them, her hand holding a part of her dress to keep from tripping. Her eyes lit up, like fireworks in the sky, like the sun on a lake, like a candle in the dark, upon seeing Kanda. And she dropped the handful of her dress and ran at him, throwing herself at him.

"KANDA!" she shouted, hugging him as tightly as she could with her entire being. Arms around his neck and legs around his waist.

"Ylia…" Kanda sighed, hugging back just as tightly, one hand holding her up while the other one was in her hair.

"Oh, god, Kanda…" Ylia said, parting slightly as the tears came to her eyes again, her hands cupped his face as she rested her forehead on his head. "Kanda, Kanda, Kanda…. I've missed you so much…" she sobbed quietly, her head in the crook of his neck.

"Ylia, I'm back now. I'm so sorry I left you, I swear to whatever gods and spirits there are out there that I'll never leave you again… Not anymore…" he sighed, holding her as tightly as he could, like he was afraid she would vanish.

Wolf leaned against the door frame. Having caught his breath, the two young adults hadn't noticed his presence. But he just smiled as he watched the two.

"Hey," Kanda said, smiling, "there's someone else here to see you."

"Huh…?" Ylia asked as Kanda set her back to her feet. He stepped to the side to allow her to see Wolf. And Ylia smiled again.

"_Daddy…"_ came her quick change to Elvish.

Wolf smiled, treading across the wooden floor to scoop her into a hug.

"_I told you, you just had to wait…" _Wolf whispered.

Ylia nodded. _"I am sorry, Daddy…"_

"_Don't be. I am just glad that everything has worked out. Your mother would be very happy."_

Ylia smiled, _"She is happy."_

Wolf released the girl from his embrace, _"Yes. And I think it is time you and Kanda made up for lost time."_

Ylia nodded, her smile growing larger. She turned back to Kanda and took his hands.

"It is time we caught up on everything we've missed," she spoke softly.

Kanda nodded, "It is. Can we do it here? I'm not ready to go back to Renkon yet."

Ylia nodded, "Of course, silly," she giggled. It was about that time that Tathar flew over. And this time, he made his nest on Kanda's head. And everyone laughed.

That night, each of the two took turns spinning their tales of everything that had happened since that last day in the fields. And that night, together, they snuck out from the Elven Village and ran through the forest, a race of some sorts. And when they reached the fields, they both fell to the grass and flowers in a fit of laughter, Ylia on top of the warrior. And without hesitation, as if the moon herself had destined this to happen from the very beginning, their lips met in a kiss.

A passionate kiss it was as they rolled to flip their positions. Kanda pulled the girl closer and edged her alone as she had her hands on the side of his face, lovingly going through the strands of hair in front of his ears. Not even the need for oxygen could stop them. A first real kiss, and neither of them wished for it to stop. Quickly inhaling through his nose, Kanda went back to directing all his attention to the girl and moving his lips against hers. Her hands moved from his face to his shoulders, and then down to his sides. She hugged him close before; finally, they had to part.

They stared at one another for a moment before Kanda smiled and sat on the ground beside her. He pulled her up to sit sideways on her hip. She smiled and pulled him down to lay his head in her lap. With her hand lovingly skating through his loosely pulled back hair, and his hand coming up to brush her bangs out of her face and rest itself on her cheek. Sometimes, his hand would move to trace the circlet. But either way, they stayed like that, in the dark and in the moonlight.

They spoke soft words, finishing their stories. But before they knew it, it was time to head back to the village. With a smirk, Kanda lifted Ylia into his arms, muttering something about her being just like a bride, and walked her back through the forest and to her own house. There, they slept.

The next morning, when Ylia awoke, her first instinct was to panic. Where was Kanda? Why wasn't he in the bed where he was last night?! She panicked, jumping from the bed and flying downstairs. Without even thinking, she ran to Kanda when she saw him, just about tackling him with her hug.

"Kanda!" she cried.

"Ylia, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Sorry," she muttered, letting him go with a smile.

Kanda raised an eyebrow.

"I freaked a little," she giggled and moved to sit at the table.

"Yeah, that's apparent," he retorted, setting a plate out for her. "It's not the best, but I can still cook a little…" he gave her some sort of a crooked smile.

"Thanks, it looks fine," she smiled. "Where's Daddy?"

"Uh…I dunno. He said he had to go somewhere," Kanda shrugged and took a seat at the table as well.

Silence fell between them as they both ate.

"Ylia?" Kanda asked.

"Hmmm?" she hummed.

"Would you mind…maybe…coming to my house today?" he asked, biting his lip.

"Well…only if you promise to protect me from your village's people and their flaming torches…"

Kanda chuckled, "Of course I will, how could I not?"

Ylia smiled, "Then we'll go as soon as we finish our meal. If we leave a note for Daddy, he won't mind."

Kanda nodded.

It didn't take much for Kanda to sneak Ylia into the Human village. Having lived there all his life, he had a few secret routes memorized, routes that no one would find except him. Kanda had once used these routes to sneak off and train, but now, they seemed perfect for this very cause. For this very particular one, lead straight to his back door.

"Kanda, are you quite sure about this?" Ylia asked, biting her thumb.

Kanda sighed, "Well, not completely sure. But what more can my parents do to us?" He asked with a smile. Ylia returned the smile and allowed him to open the door of the house.

Inside, Alma was at the table, a knife in one hand and a potato in the other. Froi must've been in another room, for he wasn't there. Kanda led Ylia into the house by hand, making sure that they stepped carefully. Easier for Ylia; her feet were bare. But to Alma's trained ears, they were all too noticeable.

"Kanda, is that you…?" Alma asked, looking up from her seat only to have her voice trail off in pure shock. There she saw Ylia looking as if she had a sword pointed right at her. She gulped.

"Well who is this?" Alma inquired, standing and smiling.

"Uh…this is Ylia…" Kanda said, hesitating a little.

"Ylia? That's a lovely name. Are you an Elf?" the woman walked over to them.

Ylia gulped again, and didn't answer.

Alma giggled, "You don't have to answer. You're silence gives it away. I must say, I wasn't expecting to meet an Elf before I died. Especially not one as beautiful as you," her smile was raidient.

Ylia flushed, "Oh um…"

"Yeah, she's an Elf," Kanda said, putting his arm around Ylia's shoulders. "And I hope you don't mind, Mother, but—"

"Adorable," Alma clapped her hands together. "She looks perfect for you, Yu."

"Wait…Yu?" Ylia asked after a moment of silence.

Kanda rolled his eyes and nodded.

She slightly giggled, "Well, I take it you're Mrs. Kanda?"

Alma nodded, "But please, call me Alma," she held out her hand for Ylia to take. Ylia took it hesitantly and they shook.

In the midst of the shake, Froi entered the room, the door hitting hard against the wall. Everyone froze and turned to look at the old man. He smiled and saluted softly before taking a seat at the table.

"Froi?" Alma asked.

"Hm?" he took up the knife and began to peel the potatoes in Alma's stead.

As silence fell, Froi just smiled, nodding slightly in his assurance that, yes, Ylia was alright.

The day was spent talking mainly, and flinching whenever there was a knock at the door. But even then, it was only Lavi come to see if Kanda was home. And after he was let in, they continued to talk. Alma and Froi wanted to know what the Elven life was like, as well as what had happened to both Kanda and Ylia.

From there, Ylia and Kanda each returned home, until the next day where they met in the field again.

"Kanda!" Ylia shouted, running to him only to jump and hug him as tightly as she could.

"Hi there," Kanda chuckled, holding tight to her.

"I've missed you," she sighed, swooping down to kiss him.

"It's been a day," he got out between her affectionate pecks.

"That's too long," her happy sigh came.

Kanda chuckled to himself as he set the girl back on her feet.

"Ylia, I have a question to ask you," Kanda huffed.

"Hmm?" she tilted her head to the side. Only to be a little more confused when Kanda dropped down to one knee.

"Ylia," Kanda started, holding his breath briefly, "we met in a strange way, you pretty much kept me from dying on the forest floor. And from there, all I can say is that our…friendship has grown into something more than that. And that's why," he gulped, "I want to ask if you'll marry me…"

Ylia smiled, she knew what that meant.

"Of course I will!" she shouted, tackling the man to the ground again, hugging him as tightly as she could.

"We'll start a new era," Ylia said, "and we'll stop the war. You and me, together. We'll bring the Elves and the Humans together…"

Kanda smiled, "One step at a time." They came together in one kiss.

And thus the sun rose over the horizon to single another morning.

**Epilogue**

As the ten years had passed, Kanda and Ylia had made it their goal to stop the War, to stop the hate. And so they did. Within the first year, all Laws from each race that involved discriminatory rules against the other race were removed. The next year brought about the freedom of Half Elves. Three years into their marriage did they bring about a treaty between the two races. Four years, the ban on Humans entering the Forest and the ban on Elves leaving the Forest was lifted.

Half way though, five years, and Ylia gave birth to their first born child. At year six, they learned that she was just the spitting image of her father. With pale skin, blue eyes, and the same blue hair, she was a little Kanda. Except for her personality which was much kinder and sweeter. And her name was Mei Lian. Or Mei for short.

Through the rest of the five years, the War was ended and everything turned to peace. Well, almost everything.

"Lavi, I swear to god you stay away from her!" Kanda shouted, chasing the red-head from their house. It didn't help much, since the said girl he was talking about was outside playing in the fields anyway. Mei was playing with Ylia, spinning around. But when she saw Lavi, she was much more interested in him.

Kanda grumbled when he watched Mei run to the idiot Half Elf and jump up into his arms. But what could he really expect? Mei was a Half Elf too. Finally giving in, Kanda sighed and walked out of the house as well. He took the small girl when she reached for him, but still continued on to take Ylia's hand.

"We did it," he smiled.

She nodded, "It took ten years," Ylia squeezed Kanda's hand, "but we did it."

Mei burst into a fit of laughter, pushing out of Kanda's arms and to the ground. She spotted the butterfly she'd laughed at and began to chase it. And her parents laughed too.


End file.
